Shadow Mistress
by ShanaAlvarado29
Summary: A twist on canon, both anime and manga. Yugi Mouto is gifted the Millennium Puzzle for his eighth birthday, and has worked tirelessly to complete it. Once he does, he unleashes an ancient spirit whose sole purpose is to protect Yugi at all costs. Story runs from Season Zero ep.1 through the end of Battle City. Yes, it's Prideshipping. Prideshipping is so canon that it hurts. lol
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of the characters from the anime. This fanfic is canon compliant, but there are some tweaks and twists that do belong to me. I also own Yami's female counterpart. **

**A/N: This is the prequel to Heart of the Heroine. I had started on a sequel, but considering that I needed some sort of actual background for the oneshot and the upcoming sequel, so I decided to write this. Yes, I have this story running circles in my head, and considering that it is canon-compliant, alternating between the anime and manga, I have quite a bit of reference if I do get stuck somehow. I doubt that thought. Anyway, please, enjoy this new fanfic.**

* * *

**Chapter One**

Yugi Mouto sat at his desk in his darkened bedroom, well after midnight, with only his desk lamp for light. Hundreds of small, three-dimensional, gold blocks were scattered across his desktop, and Yugi painstakingly clicked two pieces together in a bid to fit them together. He referred to several sheets of papers, upon which was drawn a sample diagram of what the finished project was supposed to look like when it is finished. Next to his elbow were several bonded pieces of his complex puzzle, but they were separate from each other, unable to fit together.

Yugi groaned in frustration at his lack of progress, setting the two pieces he had in his hands down before aggressively scratching the back of his hair. His grandfather had given him the puzzle when he was eight, and in eight years, Yugi has made very little progress in completing the legendary Millennium Puzzle. One would think that after so many years of failure, the boy would have given up, but he was desperate. His grandfather, Sugoroku, had translated the ancient Egyptian text inscribed upon the box the Millennium Puzzle had been found in, which stated, "He who solves this Millennium Puzzle shall be granted one wish."

Yugi's heart's wish is to have a real, true friend, a friend who would never betray him, and one who Yugi would never betray.

So even though Yugi had very little chance of successfully solving the puzzle, he was determined to do what so many others before had failed to pull off.

* * *

Yugi sat alone in his homeroom class, occupying himself with a solitary game of Pop-Up-Pirate. The other students either mingled amongst themselves while some were trying to organize a game of basketball. The camaraderie of his classmates made Yugi's heart tighten in bittersweet envy at something he had merely dreamt of. Sure he had a couple of acquaintances who tolerated and were even rather nice to him, but Yugi had never experienced the deep belonging that seemingly everyone else around him had and some even took for granted.

Yugi put his game away and pulled out the small golden box that housed his Millennium Puzzle. It was a struggle in and of itself not to simply give it up entirely, however whenever Yugi even thought of putting an end to the perpetual hopelessness of success, he was reminded of his heart's desire, and his heart cried out for him to keep on trying, no matter how long it took.

"What have you got there, Yugi?" A feminine voice questioned, and Yugi snapped his head up to meet a set of wide, sparkling blue eyes staring down at him, curiously.

Tea Gardner was one of the few acquaintances who at least put in effort to be cordial with him, and Yugi's face brightened as she smiled down at him. Yugi felt his heart stutter a bit in his chest, reminding him of the crush he had on the pretty brunette.

"It's a memento from my grandpa." Yugi replied.

"Do you mean that you're grandpa's dead?" Tea demanded, sounding suitably upset that she had just now heard about it.

"Oh no! I'm sorry, I meant it is _going_ to be a memento, my grandpa is still very much alive." Yugi's cheeks colored a little in embarrassment.

"Ah, then what's in the box?"

"Promise that you'll keep it a secret?"

"Sure I will."

"Okay, I'll show you."

Yugi turned the box around and opened the box so that Tea could see inside. Immediately, Tea's eyes lit up in fascination.

"What is this? Is it some sort of puzzle?"

"That's exactly what it is! It's called the Millennium Puzzle, it was discovered in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt almost a century ago and somehow it ended up in my grandpa's Game Shop. Grandpa then gave it to me as a birthday present. It says that it will grant one wish to whomever can solve it." Yugi explained.

"It sounds enchanting." Tea commented, reaching out and plucked one of the pieces out from the box to take a closer look, "Is it real gold then?"

"I suppose." Yugi murmured, keeping a sharp eye on the piece held within Tea's slender fingers. That was the reason Yugi hadn't noticed a hand snake around him and grabbed up the box with the remaining pieces of the Millennium Puzzle.

Yugi jolted out of his chair and whirled around to come face-to-chest with Joey Wheeler.

"Give that back to me." Yugi demanded, although it was nowhere near as insistent as Yugi needed it to be.

"And why should I?" Joey taunted, even as he scanned the gold pieces still visible inside the box.

"Because it belongs to me. It's my greatest treasure." Yugi replied, his voice pleading, yet determined.

"Hmm, let me think about that." Joey made an over-exaggerated show of contemplation before a huge grin cracked across his face. "Yeah, I don't think so. This should teach you to keep a closer watch over your treasures, now won't it?"

Before Yugi could say anything in response, Tea reached over and snatched the golden box out of Joey's hand, "Would you stop bullying people who are weaker than you? It's pathetic how you need to feel more accomplished by picking on the little people around you." She slammed the side of her fist against Joey's skull in reprimand, before handing the box over to Yugi.

"Damn it, Tea! I was trying to-"

"I don't care what you were trying to do. Stop messing with Yugi!" Tea scolded threateningly.

"Fine, whatever. Ruin my fun…" He murmured before he stomped away from the pair, not noticing how Yugi clutched the box that held his Millennium Puzzle close to his chest.

"Thank you, Tea." He said quietly, eyes shining with admiration.

* * *

Joey turned his head to look back in the direction he had left Yugi and Tea before he unfurled his clenched fists to reveal a piece of the Puzzle in his palm.

"Heh, let's see him complete that stupid puzzle without this." He muttered as he yanked open the nearest window and chucked the piece out, watching as it landed in the school's swimming pool, and didn't continue walking until he could no longer see the gold piece sinking down in the water.

Joey closed the window back and continued on his way, whistling a merry tune, feeling rather accomplished with himself.

He just turned a corner when he ran right into a tall, solid wall of flesh and bone. Joey raised his head to meet the beady, black eyes of Ushio Tetsu.

"Hey, watch where ya standing!" Joey snapped, rubbing his abused nose to alleviate the tingling ache.

Ushio's only response was the slow, wide grin that split across his face, ugly and ruthless, promising punishment.

* * *

The school bell reverberated throughout the campus, signaling the finish of yet one more tedious school day.

Yugi quickly gathered up his supplies into his backpack and started out of the classroom, eager to get home to the Kame Game Shop where he could continue on the Millennium Puzzle.

He stepped out of the room just in time to hear someone call out his name. Yugi turned to find Ushio standing next to the door, his wide shoulders propped against the wall and a cocky smile was perpetually set upon his face.

"Ushio? What do you want?" Yugi asked. Ushio was a senior, and he never had known the older boy to go out of his way to talk with him, or any sophomore student for that matter.

"I've got something to show you. I know you'll like it." Ushio said. Although it sounded like an invitation, his voice alone revealed that Yugi had no choice but to follow him.

"Okay…" Yugi drew out as he fell into step behind the older boy.

Ushio led him outside the school building and circled 'round back of the gymnasium. When Yugi came around the corner, he couldn't suppress his gasp of horror that forced its way out from his mouth at the sight that greeted him there.

Joey Wheeler and his best friend Tristan Taylor, another boy who tended to pick on Yugi every so often, lay sprawled out on the ground, their faces swelling, bruised, and a line of blood trailed down from Joey's broken nose. Their clothes were disheveled and dirty, splattered with blood as well, and Tristan's left arm lay in a slightly awkward angle, hinting that it had been broken just above his elbow. Both were barely conscious, only Joey stared up at Yugi with narrowed, accusing eyes that speared Yugi right through his heart.

"What is going on here? What happened to them?" Yugi demanded, sounding more angry and appalled than ever.

"I decided that I would lend a hand in being your new bodyguard. As testament to my dedication, I have taught your two primary bullies a lesson for treating you so harshly." Ushio replied, sounding smug.

"Yugi, you son of a bit-" Joey started to snarl, but was cut off when Ushio slammed the heel of his foot into his already bruised ribs. The blond spluttered, and a droplet of blood catapulted from his mouth.

"Stop it!" Yugi screamed as he threw himself in front of Joey and Tristan, looking terrified, knowing that Ushio would turn his ire Yugi's way, but he also looked determined to stop the abuse at any cost. "I won't let you hurt them anymore! These guys are my friends. They've only been trying to teach me how to be more like a man."

Ushio's substantial eyebrows drew together as he frowned at Yugi, whose head merely reached Ushio's waist, and he clenched his fist in Yugi's shirt collar, "Well then, if you're going to be ungrateful for my protection…" He let the sentence dangle as he reeled back his other fist.

Yugi closed his eyes tight in preparation of the pain, but nothing could've prepared him for the sensation of a miniature bulldozer being driven into his abdomen. As his diminutive body curled up on itself, a second fist struck the side of his face. He landed hard on the ground in front of Joey and Tristan, and he cried out as his arm creaked under his weight. Ushio kicked Yugi in the stomach before spitting on him.

"My price for my service is $200,000. You had best have my money by tomorrow evening, or I promise you that you won't be let off as easily as you are now." Ushio cackled darkly as he turned and walked away.

Yugi struggled to lift his head, one thought running through his head.

_What am I going to do now?_

* * *

Solomon Mouto immediately sat Yugi up on a barstool in the kitchen the moment he saw the state Yugi was in when the boy entered through the back door of the Game Shop. He threatened the boy with confiscating all of Yugi's games, including the Millennium Puzzle, for two months if he so much as placed a toe on the floor beneath the stool before Solomon returned with the first aid kit. Taking his grandfather's threat to heart, Yugi scarcely moved a muscle. It was easy to obey his grandpa when his entire body ached as badly as it did.

Solomon returned soon enough with the first aid kit, and he quickly bandaged Yugi's temple, nose, and cleaned out each of Yugi's cuts and scrapes. He only released Yugi when Solomon was absolutely certain that the boy hadn't broken anything.

Yugi shuffled up the stairs to his bedroom, his mind working overly much with fear of not being able to pay Ushio the money. True, he knew that he really didn't owe Ushio Tetsu a bloody thing, but Ushio was so much larger and stronger than Yugi, and after seeing how easy it had been for the older boy to mangle Tristan and Joey, Yugi knew that he didn't stand a chance. Ushio was ruthless, greedy, and psychotic on his best day, and Yugi had no doubt in his mind that Ushio would act upon his threat should Yugi fail to put forth the money.

While his mind was occupied with his high school concerns, Yugi's body moved automatically, continuing in the same rituals it always had for eight years. Yugi sat down at his desk, pulled the box with his Millennium Puzzle inside out of his backpack, and started attempting to solve it. Oddly enough, Yugi found that the Millennium Puzzle was somehow easier than usual. Within half an hour of starting, Yugi had made more progress than all the previous eight years combined.

He didn't even realize he was only four pieces away from solving the puzzle until he felt his fingers curl around a now three-dimensional object. His large amethyst eyes lit up as he absorbed how close he was to completing what so many before him had failed to solve. He picked up another piece and effortlessly slid it into place. Another piece, and then another slipped into the design without any resistance.

Yugi's expression lit up ten watts as he saw that he was merely one piece away from finally solving the Millennium Puzzle. His eyes unable to leave the Puzzle, he sightlessly reached for the last piece inside the box…but when he couldn't feel anything else, his eyes finally slid over to look inside the box and found that he was missing a piece.

Slowly, he set the nearly-completed Millennium Puzzle on his desk, got to his feet, his mind whirling through the possibilities of where the last piece could have gotten off to. Yugi flashed to his homeroom classroom and he put the Puzzle into his jacket pocket before rushing down toward his bedroom door. Just as he reached for the doorknob, a knock sounded from the other side.

"Yugi?"

Yugi opened the door to reveal his grandpa standing in the hall, his hands behind his back.

"Going somewhere?" He asked.

"Well, you see, I think I lost the last piece of the Millennium Puzzle at the school, and so-"

"Ah, no need for that." Solomon scoffed as he drew a hand out from behind his back and opened his hand to reveal the last piece, the Eye of Horus shining brilliantly in the artificial lighting of the room.

"Oh Grandpa! Thank you!" Yugi cried in glee.

"A young man dropped it off just a moment ago, said that he found it. It was odd, he was soaked and yet it isn't raining outside…" Solomon replied, his voice trailing as he contemplated this fact as he walked back down the hall.

"Who was it?"

"He said his name is Joey Wheeler."

"Joey?" Yugi gasped, but the matter of the other boy dropping off his missing Puzzle piece quickly became uninteresting, and Yugi closed his door and pulled the Puzzle out of his pocket. He stared at the black space on the front, and carefully Yugi slid the final piece into place.

Immediately, Yugi was enveloped in a bright, warm, white light that nearly blinded the boy. He felt as though his heart sped up a pace, his stomach twisting in an oddly pleasant sensation, like he had just bitten into the world's greatest cheeseburger and even his stomach is showing its appreciation.

By the time the light faded, Yugi felt light on the inside, still warm, like he had just drunk a mug of hot chocolate in the dead of December. He smiled as he slid the rope attached to the Millennium Puzzle around his neck and held the gold upside-down pyramid to his heart, "I wish for true friendship." He whispered, his voice quivering with the intensity of the sincerity of his wish.

And then, everything went pitch dark around him, and Yugi had the feeling like he was falling into a deep, black void.

* * *

It was midnight when Ushio Tetsu stepped onto the Domino School grounds. Yugi had called him that evening promising that he would meet the senior then with the full amount of money he owed. That was why he was here, but it was obvious that Yugi was not.

"Yugi! You here?" He called out, scanning the darkened schoolyard, the silver light of the waxing third-quarter moon the way Ushio could see at all. "I swear, if this is a prank, you are dead." He said, voice growing louder.

"There's no need to keep threatening me so much. I'm right here."

Ushio whirled around to watch Yugi step out from the shadows of the school building. Or what should have been Yugi…he looked like Yugi, but the voice was a little off. Not to mention Yugi seemed a little taller than what Ushio was used to…he was still a scrawny little guy, but he held himself in a way that obliterated the last vestiges of self-consciousness that Yugi once felt, and instead he held an overwhelming amount of confidence.

Yugi wore a black sleeveless shirt. Belt buckles running up the length of his torso, pulled tight around his chest. He also wore a black leather jacket and matching pants, black leather boots with three silver studs adorned his feet. Perhaps the boots were what made him appear a bit taller, or maybe it was the fact that he was no longer in his school uniform, but whatever the case, Ushio felt the overwhelming need to get the hell out of there.

That was until Yugi's hand came up and Ushio could see a thick stack of bills in his hand. "Here's the money I owe you, plus a little extra. I feel a little generous tonight."

Ushio came forward and reached for the money, only to have it yanked out of his reach.

"Uh-uh. What fun is there in just handing it over to you? No, how about we play a little game. If you win, you get all $400,000 here. If I win, well, you'll have to play a Punishment Game."

"Huh? Are you crazy?" Ushio demanded, although he was a little intrigued. His greed overrode his need to flee.

"I've been told that I am a time or two, but I like to think that I am simple eccentric. Now, are you willing to play my game?" Yugi replied smoothly.

"Sure, I'll play."

"Good man. Come with me."

Yugi led Ushio to the back of the gymnasium, the same place where Ushio had beaten Joey, Tristan, and Yugi just that afternoon. There was a short pillar, about waist-high. Yugi went over and place the bills in the center of the pillar, then he walked over to Ushio. As casually as he could, Yugi stuck his hand into Ushio's jacket and pulled out a large hunting knife that Ushio had stashed just in case Yugi had simply been joking around with him. How he knew that Ushio had the knife was a bit daunting, but nevertheless, Ushio's eyes were glued to the stack of money on the pillar.

"This is how the game will work. Each one of us will take turns stabbing the stack of bills with this knife. The stack of bills shall be balanced upon the backs of our hands. The number of bills that get stuck on the knife we can keep for ourselves. The winner is decided when there are no more bills left and the one with the more money is victorious, and they haven't stabbed their hand accidentally. Since I am the one who challenged you, I shall take the first turn, just to show you how it's done." Yugi explained. As he spoke, Yugi spun the knife around one of his fingers, like one would do with a basketball. _When did he become so…skilled._

Yugi pulled the stack of bills across the back of his hand. Gripping the hilt of the knife, Yugi brought his arm down in a fast arc and the blade dug into the pile of bills. When he extracted the blade, four bills were stuck to the tip. "I was sure there would have been more…ah well, you're turn."

Yugi turned the knife in his hand and offered it to Ushio hilt first. Ushio did as he had seen Yugi do, and when he had completed his first turn, his had managed to get six bills stuck on the blade.

As the game continued, Ushio saw that the further into the game they got, the harder it was for him to control the force behind each of his stabs.

It wasn't until there were only eight bills remaining that he felt the danger. He could no longer control his stabs, and if he took this turn, he would stab straight through the bills and into his hand. Droplets of sweat began beading upon his brow as he struggled to find a way to win the game. And suddenly, a thought struck him.

He turned the knife on Yugi…or rather would have if Yugi hadn't moved so fast. The younger boy jumped out of the way in time to avoid receiving a blade to the head.

An ominous, strong wind blew out of nowhere, and as Ushio watched, Yugi's coattails got caught up in the gale, as did his hair. Slight curves could be visibly seen once the jacket was not impeding his view. There was no way that this could possibly be Yugi Mouto. Yugi Mouto, although was small, puny, and diminutive, he was still a male. This was obviously a female who looked nearly identical to Yugi.

As Ushio grasped this fact, a light upon this mysterious woman's forehead attracted his attention. A yellow eye glowed brightly upon her brow, and Ushio took several steps away from the woman as his fight-or-flight instincts took control.

"I knew you couldn't play the game fairly. You, Ushio Tetsu, are filled with nothing but greed, murder, and deception. You lost the Shadow Game, and that calls for a Punishment Game." The woman raised her hand toward Ushio, palm out. Ushio tried to turn away and run, but his feet were suddenly bolted to the ground. "You cannot escape me. Mind crush!"

Ushio crumbled to the ground in a heap of limbs and clothing. He was unconscious, and would stay that way until Ushio could learn to live honorably instead of through nefarious means.

The woman grabbed the bills and without even a backwards glance, walked silently into the shadows from whence she had come.

* * *

Yugi gripped the straps of his backpack as he walked silently through the halls of Domino high. The local authorities had been on campus that morning investigating the apparent attack on Ushio, and Yugi would be lying if he said that he felt a little sorry for the older boy. Yugi didn't know the details, only that Ushio had been found behind the gymnasium that morning unconscious. He had been transported to the hospital, and was now in a coma that he may or may not awaken from.

Not for the first time that morning, Yugi's eyes lowered, locking on the completed Millennium Puzzle hanging from around his neck. A small smile flitted across his face; the excitement of finally finishing the Puzzle still hadn't worn off.

As he walked past a conjoined hallway, and turned to head toward first hour Algebra 2, he found himself face-to-chest with Joey Wheeler.

"Oh, hey Joey." Yugi murmured shyly, unsure of what the taller boy would do.

"Hey Yugi, I wanted to apologize for being such a jerk to you. I was only meaning to show you how to be more manly, but I guess things kind of got out of hand."

"Kind of?" Yugi repeated incredulously.

Joey laughed, "Yeah, I guess I deserve that for all the crap I put you through. Anyway, I wanted to let you know that from now on, we're friends."

Yugi's face brightened at this turn of events. He had always wanted to be friends with Joey, but he had thought it impossible, thinking that Joey didn't like him enough to befriend him. Once again, Yugi's eyes dropped to the Millennium Puzzle. The smile from earlier grew until his cheeks burned from the effort.

His wish had come true! Yugi was certain that from now on, things would finally be different, that finally things were about to turn in Yugi's favor.

* * *

**A/N II: Alright everybody, I'm back! I am so very sorry for the long wait, but I've been super busy with RL these past few months. I am now officially Shana O'Conner; I got married back in April, so things have been real crazy lately. And with starting a new job and such, I haven't had much time to sit down and type out the numerous plot bunnies that have made their way into my brain. I promise, I will make it a habit to update more consistently, as I had done when I first started writing, so please, don't give up on me yet. Again, I'm sorry to keep you all waiting so long, but I'm back, and I've got my stories ready and waiting to be told. Goodnight, everybody. It's time for me to hit the hay. ^_^ **


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of the characters from the anime. This story is canon-compliant, and therefore I barely even own the plot. However, the tiny tweaks in the story and Yami's female counterpart do belong to me. **

**A/N: Not much to say with this one, just sit back and enjoy this next installment. ^_^ **

* * *

**Chapter Two**

Yugi was on cloud nine. He had finally made his first real friend in Joey, Tea Gartner stayed around him more often, and he had finally been able to complete the Millennium Puzzle, Yugi's greatest treasure. The case of Ushio Tetsu had been closed, dismissed due to lack of substantial evidence, and life at Domino High continued on as though nothing had happened.

Yugi sat in homeroom, watching Tea roam the front of the classroom, taking suggestions for what the sophomore class would do to contribute in the upcoming annual Cultural Festival. The Cultural Festival is one of the most anticipated events of the year. It's one full day filled with games, activities, good food, play productions, band performances, and every student was allowed to take a load off their minds and unwind just after midterms had ended.

So far, people have suggested Cosplay contest booth, wrestling, and a Soba noodles stand.

Normally, Yugi didn't like to put his opinions out in the open, tending to keep his head down and out of trouble as much as he could, but recently, he felt as though he could do anything.

Timidly, Yugi raised his hand in the air, and Tea looked slightly surprised before she put on her bright smile and called him out, "What would you like to have us do for the festival, Yugi?" She asked.

"Uh, how about a carnival game pit?" He replied softly, his head instinctively low on his shoulders.

Tea smiled broadly and said, "That's a wonderful idea!" And she wrote it up on the board with everything else.

The murmuring around him began to stir and Yugi homed in on each little whisper that crossed between a cluster of students, all seemed to be warming up to the idea of a carnival game pit. When Tea called the class to a vote, it was unanimously agreed with Yugi's suggestion.

Yugi's heart swelled with happiness. He had put his heart out there, and the rest of the class had decided to go along with him. It was strange to feel the acceptance that came with this victory of sorts, and he as he absorbed the revelation, he could already hear many people popping up to put forth their suggestions for what games they should have. Yugi thought that, once again, things were beginning to look brighter for him.

* * *

A week before the cultural festival found the sophomore class of Domino High out in the schoolyard, building their game pit to get it ready in time. Yugi and Joey both were working on a life-size variation of Pop-Up-Pirate. Joey was inside a large barrel, a paper-mache pirate head over his head to see if the costume fit, while Yugi sandpapered the outside. It had been cut and battered to make it appear older and weathered, with five thin, four-inch holes cut out of the sides for the wooden swords. There was a spring mechanism inside that when a sword hit a certain spot in the barrel, a false bottom beneath Joey would catapult him skyward onto a nearby trampoline positioned so that Joey wouldn't get hurt. The mechanism had been tested several times already, and the game worked smoothly.

As Yugi was down on his knees, running a single sheet of sandpaper around the bottom of the barrel, he heard the sound of rushing footsteps coming in their direction. He glanced up in time to see several students from the senior class, holding a long and flattop grill between the fourteen of them, standing just outside the sophomore's boundary.

"This is our lot for the festival. You kids take your games and get lost." One of the seniors boasted, a male who had apparently claimed alpha over the other seniors.

"No way! This lot was assigned to us this year. If you have a problem with that, then take it up with the faculty and not with us." Tea replied briskly.

"If you won't move, then we'll just have to trample over you."

The fourteen seniors charged toward Tea, intending to use the grill between them as a battering ram. Yugi lunged forward, pushing Tea out of the way and taking the brunt of the blow on himself.

Yugi could hear Joey calling out his name loudly, but the impact of the grill had knocked the wind out of him, and he passed out for a few minutes.

* * *

Yugi awakened later that evening to find him lying on his back in a strange bed. He didn't feel overly injured, only a bit sore along his ribcage where he had taken the brunt of the blow. His eyes narrowed to alleviate some of the burn from the overhead white lights.

"You're finally awake."

Yugi's eyes sought out her face. Tea sat in a fold-up chair next to his bed, wearing a wane smile on her face that spelled pity and concern.

"Where am I?"

"The school infirmary. We were afraid that your ribs had been broken. Thankfully that isn't the case." Tea replied, her voice quiet and calm.

"Ah, I see. Sorry to worry you, Tea." Yugi murmured as he sat up in the bed. His head swam a bit from him moving too quickly. "What happened to the carnival games?" He asked.

"Oh well, we'll just have to do that next year." Tea answered with false enthusiasm.

"Now way! We can get the lot back somehow. Maybe if we can go to the faculty and have them forcibly…"

"Even if we did manage to get the lot back, there isn't nearly enough time to recreate the games before the festival. It'll be fine though, we can think something else…perhaps the soba noodles could be a good alternative?" Tea said.

"Well…"

It wasn't until then that Yugi saw the glistening of tears in Tea's bright azure eyes.

A sudden flood of pain, anger, and resentment washed up inside him. And then, Yugi didn't feel anything at all.

Tea wiped her eyes in hopes that she could hide them from Yugi, but when she turned around, Yugi was no longer in his bed.

"Yugi? Where'd you go?"

* * *

Inogashira Gorou was less than thrilled to have been called out so late in the night. He stood in the middle of the schoolyard, the clock up on the tower showing it was only a little after eleven, which was why this kid was not dead, at least not yet.

The same kid from that afternoon stood in the middle of the lot where the seniors had placed their grill, his arms folded across his chest, feet braced apart, and their was a fire in the boy's eyes that hadn't been there that afternoon.

"So you're the one who called me out here? So what do you want? I suspect this has something to do with the festival?" Inogashira questioned as his own arms crossed in a pose that he had meant to appear threatening, but the kid didn't look at all intimidated.

"You are not so strong without the rest of your little friends to back you up, now are you, Gorou?" He shot back, his voice a little deeper, and yet it had an odd lilt to it that almost made his tone of voice sound a bit feminine. "Now that you're all alone, perhaps we can play a little game, one-on-one. The winner gets to use this lot for the festival."

"You've got to be kidding? Why would I do something so stupid? Who the hell are you anyway?" Inogashira demanded, although he was beginning to feel a little intrigued at the apparent change in the boy from earlier and this one.

"You have encroached upon my territory, had injured my best friend as well as myself, you tried to assault yet another close friend of mine. Your transgressions are many, and they deserve retribution. However, you also realize that if you were to emerge from this lot victorious, then you have unobstructed access to this lot, and you won't hear any of us sophomore kids whining about how you ruined our game pit. You can weigh your options, and decide it would be better for you to simply accept my challenge and play my game, or risk having to deal with troublesome little kids, including myself, and maybe even lose this lot in the long run. But then again, I am not a psychic reader, so I am merely making an estimation." The kid replied, "And people tend to call me Yugi." He added.

"Heh! Fine, I don't feel like having pint-sized vultures circling around me. I accept your challenge."

"Excellent! Now then, this is how the game is going to work." Yugi uncovered a table to reveal a large chunk of ice with a long tube inserted in the middle and two paddles. "I came earlier this evening a heated up the flattop that you brought in this afternoon. It is currently exactly two hundred and twelve degrees Fahrenheit. We each will keep a paddle, and the ice will serve as a sort of hockey puck. When the game starts, we will each hit the ice to the other end of the grill. The tube is loaded with powerful explosives. When the ice is completely melted and the tube touches the flattop, it will explode." Yugi handed Gorou a paddle and went to his end of the grill.

"You really are crazy." Inogashira said, laughing.

"As I have been told. Now, the game will start…now."

Yugi released the ice block and hit it over toward Inogashira's end with ease. Inogashira returned, his strike sending the ice chunk like a bullet to the opposite side of the table. When Yugi returned the hit, it wasn't without a tinge of reverberating pain that shot up his arm like lightening.

_The ice is melting very quickly…it's like a time bomb about to go off. I just have to keep the ice on Yugi's side as often as possible, and the bomb will explode on him._ Inogashira thought to himself.

He shot the ice back over to Yugi once again, every time Yugi returned the block, his arm throbbed with increasingly more pain. At one point, Yugi stumbled backwards a little at the force of the hit.

He knew that at this rate, he would lose. Inogashira could see the increasing amounts of fear filling the younger boy's features. Inogashira was convinced that he had won the game.

So then, when he hit the ice chunk again, Inogashira was shocked to see the chunk crack clean in half. The two halves of the ice block and the tube of explosives fell in what felt like slow motion to the flattop.

_He had turned his paddle and made a chip in the ice, knowing that with enough force, the ice would break!_

The tube hit the flattop and immediately the glass broke and the explosives went off. Inogashira could feel his skin burning all over his face, arms, and torso. The pain was astounding, but it was blessedly cut short when his body fell to the floor, unconscious.

* * *

The woman who appeared to look shockingly like Yugi Mouto walked over to the flattop where she pulled a full bucket of water from under the grill. She calmly strode over to where Gorou was lying in a burning heap on the ground and tossed the water over him to put out the fire.

The splash of cold water not only doused the flames, but also awakened Gorou.

"When you tamper with another person's heart, you will be punished. It is best that you remember that." She spoke quietly but sternly; her voice brooked no argument.

She then raised her hand and placed it against Gorou's forehead and murmured, "Penalty Game."

She left Gorou lying there on the ground, leaving him with no memory of what had happened to him, nor how he had gotten injured; he only remembered that first thing tomorrow, his seniors were to remove the grill and return the lot back to the sophomores.

* * *

Despite Tea's concerns, the sophomore class banded together the following day, after the seniors vacated the lot, and they had managed to rebuild their game pit just in time for the festival. Anyone who came to their carnival games had a blast and those involved with the booth were enjoying themselves more than they would've thought.

Joey seemed to be the only one having a tough time, and even he found that the whole game pit was a success.

Tea was suspicious over why the seniors suddenly decided that they didn't want to have the lot anymore, but she was grateful that the situation had been resolved without much of a fight. As it were, Inogashira Gorou had been emitted into the emergency room a week earlier to be treated for second-degree burns on his arms and torso, and third-degree burns on his face. It seemed like a repeat of Ushio Tetsu. Nobody knew what had happened to either one, including Ushio and Inogashira, and the authorities came and went just as quickly as they had during Ushio's case.

It was slightly intimidating, but then again, both Ushio and Inogashira were both big time bullies to begin with, so at least theirs wasn't a terribly great loss to Domino High.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of the characters from the anime. This is canon-compliant, so most of the plot doesn't belong to me as well. Only the small tweaks and Yami's female counterpart belong to me. **

* * *

**Chapter Three**

Yugi's stomach was growling, betraying his hunger as he walked toward the front gate of the school. Thankfully it was the end of the day and Yugi was on his way home when he heard Joey calling out to him.

"Oy, Yugi? You got a minute?"

Yugi turned around, a smile on his face as he replied, "Yeah, what's up?"

Only then did he notice Tristan walking close behind the blond.

Yugi may have made friends with Joey, but he still was a little cautious around the tall brunet. Tristan was the type of guy who liked to take advantage of a person's good nature in exchange for the illusion of friendship, supposedly. Lately, Tristan has coerced Yugi into carrying Tristan's school books and buying lewd magazines for him, the latter because his mother worked as a cashier at the bookstore where Tristan's favorite selections were sold, and he didn't want his mom to know about his extracurricular activities. Tristan might've been Joey's best friend, but Yugi didn't really like him all that much.

"You see, Yugi, Tristan here has a little problem and we thought you might be able to help him out a bit." Joey continued, oblivious to Yugi's thoughts.

Tristan looked shocked, and he began spluttering, "Wait a second, Yugi's the one you told me can help?!"

He pointed an accusatory finger in Yugi's direction, his face turning red with what could either have been from fury or embarrassment. As Joey replied in the affirmative, Yugi's mind flashed back to Joey's previous statement.

_Tristan needs help? I wonder what for?_

It seemed that Joey and Tristan had reached an understanding because Tristan turned back to Yugi, but not without erasing the pink from his cheeks.

"Look Yugi, I need your help. But if you tell anyone what I'm about to tell you, I swear I will become the bane of your entire existence until we graduate." Tristan threatened, which earned him a reprimanding glare from Joey.

"You don't have to worry about that, Tristan. Yugi can keep a secret. This will stay just between the three of us." Joey assured.

"Yeah, I won't say a word." Yugi agreed, although cautiously.

When Tristan wasn't forthcoming with exactly what it was he needed help with, Joey took the initiative, "You see, Tristan suffering from "love sickness"."

Yugi hummed in acknowledgment, but evidently that wasn't the best response for the situation. Suddenly, Tristan's fingers found their way around Yugi's throat and half-heartedly squeezed, all the while he shook Yugi, shouting, "You're laughing at me? I'll kill you!"

"I'm not laughing, Tristan." Yugi choked out, and Joey quickly separated them, giving Tristan a punch upside his head, "Would you knock it off with the theatrics already!"

Joey turned to Yugi, "Let's take a walk and I'll fill you in."

After a few minutes, Joey spoke up, "You know that girl, Miho Nosaka from our class, the one everyone refers to as Ribbon? Apparently Tristan's been "in love" with her for a year now and he's finally worked up the balls to try and ask her out, but he doesn't know how to go about doing that? We thought that maybe you might be able to help? Perhaps there's something in that weird shop your grandpa owns?"

"Hmm, well, I don't know of anything, but grandpa would be the one to ask about that." Yugi replied.

Both Joey and Yugi could still hear Tristan groaning and complaining as the brunet followed a little behind them, but they ignored him and continued walking to Yugi's house. The Game Shop was only two blocks away from the school, so it wasn't long before they arrived on Yugi's front doorstep.

Yugi walked in first, calling out a greeting to his grandpa as Joey and Tristan followed him inside, "I brought some friends along with me. We were wondering if you would have some advice for Tristan." Yugi explained, gesturing to the brooding brunet.

"What seems to be the trouble?" Solomon asked.

"Tristan is trying to ask a girl out at school, but he's not sure how to do that. Maybe you have a little something that might be able to help him out with that?"

Solomon noticeably became thoughtful, and then he broke into a wide grin, "I know just the thing." He turned and retrieved a thin, flat white box from one of the taller shelves behind the counter and placed it in front of the three boys for them to see. It didn't have a label on it, but when Solomon opened the lid, they all saw that inside lay a framed, blank puzzle.

"I used one of these to win over your grandmother, Yugi? It's a jigsaw puzzle. What you do is you write a message onto the front, and break it up into pieces. Give it to this girl and as she puts the puzzle together, your message will become visible." Solomon explained.

Joey started laughing hysterically, and even Yugi looked a little unsure about this, but Tristan looked completely transfixed on the puzzle. He didn't speak, hardly even blinked as he stared, before finally murmuring, "It's perfect."

"What, Tristan you've got to be kidding me." Joey replied, incredulously.

"No, this is what I want." Tristan stated, and he slapped down a couple of bills to pay for it, not even caring about the price.

Now, the question is, what should he write that would convey the extent of Tristan's feelings to Ribbon?

He turned to Yugi with a stern glower on his face, "You'll write it."

Yugi gaped at the brunet, "What? But I don't know how to-"

"Look Yugi, there is far too much I want to say to Ribbon that I can't figure out what I should say, especially in such a small span of space. However, from someone else, who doesn't feel what I feel, it should be easier for them to write the message." Tristan said.

Yugi considered his words for a moment, his mind quickly turning to an image of Tea, and he suddenly knew exactly what Tristan meant. There were too many words to express his feelings for Tea, he couldn't possibly write them down on this small puzzle.

"I'll do my best." Yugi replied.

"You had better. If you screw this up for me Yugi, I swear that I will kill you."

"Tristan, stop talking crazy." Joey snapped. "See you tomorrow, Yugi."

"You too." Yugi said as he watched the others head out the door.

His stomach growled once more, reminding him that with all the excitement with Tristan and Joey, he had yet to eat anything. Yugi excused himself and went into the house portion of the Game Shop and immediately set about making himself a sandwich.

* * *

Yugi sat at his desk in his bedroom, the desk lamp the only source of illumination in the darkened room. Yugi felt a little bit of déjà vu, remembering the countless nights he had stayed up like this while trying to solve the Millennium Puzzle. Now Yugi was struggling with an entirely new puzzle.

Although he figured what he should say, he wasn't sure how to write it without making it sound too cheesy.

So far, he had written, "My dearest Miho." Yeah, that was all, and even that seemed a bit corny.

It took him another hour before he finished writing his message.

"_My dearest Miho. For too long I have been imprisoned by the feelings you invoke within my heart whenever I look upon your beautiful face. Please accept my feelings for you. I love you more than anything in the universe. Sincerely, Tristan Taylor."_

Feeling accomplished, but exhausted, Yugi broke apart the puzzle and placed it and the frame into the box, wrapped it in violet paper and a yellow bow, turned out his light, and fell into bed.

* * *

"Good morning, Miss Chouno!" A young boy called out as the lovely red-haired, green-eyed young teacher walked toward the front gates of Domino High. Chouno turned and nodded, acknowledging the boy, "Good morning."

"Hello, Miss Chouno." A brown-haired man in a gray suit greeted.

"Oh, Ishida-sensei. Good morning to you as well." Chouno replied with a smile on her scarlet lips.

Ishida felt a little warm at the sight of the woman's beautiful smile.

Tea stood to the side as she saw the male's reactions to the pretty teacher. Surely, Tea could acknowledge that Chouno was quite beautiful, however, there wasn't enough makeup, hair products, or expensive clothes that could completely hide away the woman's inherent nastiness to the student body.

"Ah, what is this on your book bag?"

Tea glanced over to find Chouno stopped in front of a blonde-haired female student, who looked a little confused until she followed the direction the teacher's finger, "Oh, it's just a mascot." The girl replied.

Before she could react, Chouno snatched the little bear keychain and tugged it off of the girl's bag, "It is against the school rules to have this. Be careful that you don't get caught with anything else again."

Tea shook her head in exasperation. Chouno was only pretty on the outside, and even then, she had far too much makeup on her face that it was a little garish. Whatever these guys are seeing, Tea certainly couldn't. Shrugging to herself, she continued on into the school building, heading to her first class of the day.

* * *

"Miss Chouno, good morning." An older man in a black, pinstripe suit, said as the young teacher passed him in the hall.

"Good morning,Vice Principal."

"How did your marriage interview go?" He wondered.

"Oh, it simply wasn't meant to be. Excuse me." Chouno said cheerily and walked away without another word, heading for the girl's bathroom. As soon as the door closed behind her, Chouno slammed her fist into one of the mirrors. The glass cracked under the weight of the impact as her rage boiled over, "How dare he mention anything about that disastrous meeting? It makes me sick the way he had the audacity to stick his nose into my personal affairs!"

After a moment, Chouno pulled herself together and took a deep, calming breath.

"Oh well, there are ways for me to relieve stress."

* * *

"Before we start the class, please empty your backpacks and desks. This is an inspection." Miss Chouno ordered.

Yugi's heart skipped a beat before it shot up into a fast pace as his panic rose. That morning after he showed the wrapped puzzle box, Tristan, Joey, and Yugi decided that they would place the present in Miho's desk so that she could find it without knowing exactly who had sent it.

The school had a strict no couples policy, based off of the fact that most couples distract from schoolwork; or so the faculty claims. If they find the puzzle, then Tristan, not to mention Miho, would be in huge trouble.

Miss Chouno had a huge reputation for being known as the "Expelling Witch". No matter what, whether the transgression is large or small, Chouno would find a way to expel that student.

Yugi glanced over to see Miho pull the present out of her desk, looking confused. As Chouno began making her rounds, Yugi partially wondered if his own Millennium Puzzle was against Miss Chouno's inexistent rules.

As it were, Chouno homed in on the puzzle on Miho's desk and snatched it up without hesitation, "And what is this, Miss Nosaka?"

"I don't know. I found it in my desk." Miho replied, sounding melancholy.

Chouno took the present up front to her desk and unwrapped the paper. A few of the pieces fell out and she laughed with malevolent glee, "Ah, a jigsaw puzzle. You really shouldn't have this at school." She crooned before putting to pieces of the puzzle together and realizing that the pieces formed words. "Oh! It's a message. Well, let's just see what it says."

It took her only a few minutes to put enough of the pieces together, "This is a confession message. Relationships are against the rules. Who is the one who sent this to Miss Nosaka?"

Three people stood at the same time.

"I wrote the message." Yugi confessed.

"I put it in Miho's desk." Joey added.

"Those are my feelings in the message." Tristan proclaimed.

Miss Chouno did not look pleased with the boys' confessions, "All three of you report to the Student Advisor's office. We will settle this matter there. The rest of you, turn to page 193 and begin the lesson by yourselves."

Yugi, Tristan, and Joey each filed out of the classroom behind Miss Chouno and followed her until they reached the Advisor's office. It was empty aside from four tables, which were positioned into a circle. The boys took a seat at one side of the table while Chouno sat at the other end.

"Now, we could do this the easy way or the hard way. Your choice, boys." Chouno stated.

"As I said, I wrote the message."

"I put the box in Miss Nosaka's desk."

"Those are my feelings in the message."

Chouno growled low under her breath as each of them stuck to their original stories. _Perhaps if they didn't have each other for support?_

"That's it then, Mr. Taylor, Mr. Wheeler go on out into the hall and I'll call you back inside when I need you. Mr. Mouto, you will stay in here now, since you were the first to take responsibility."

"Yes, Miss Chouno." Yugi muttered as he watched Tristan and Joey go outside.

* * *

Once they were alone, Miss Chouno turned her full attention onto Yugi.

Was it just her, or did Mr. Mouto seem somehow different all of a sudden. Perhaps it was the way he held himself as he sat, his arms crossed over his chest, legs crossed at the knees, back straight, and head high that seemed a little strange to her. Nevertheless, she had a job to do.

"Now, Mr. Mouto, whose puzzle message is this?" She demanded.

"You were already told twice, are you perhaps hard of hearing, or is all of that makeup seeping through your pores and affecting your brain?" The boy snapped impatiently.

With the light, Chouno noticed that the boy's eyes seemed a little lighter. There was a sort of reddish tinge that seemed to have risen within them. His voice seemed different as well, stronger yet more delicate than a man's voice.

"How dare you speak to me in such a manner?" She demanded.

"I dare a lot of things, Miss Chouno. The question is, do you feel a bit daring yourself?" The boy asked.

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean to say is, are you up to playing a little game with me, Miss Chouno?"

"A game. This is ridiculous. Stop this nonsense or I'll have you-"

"Expelled? Your petty threats don't frighten me." Yugi chuckled under his breath before slanted a knowing look at the woman, "I wonder how the principal of this fine school would simply love to hear about what other activities you partake in on campus, hmm?"

Chouno frowned at this, "What other activities?"

"For example, how you offer sex as a reward to those three men a few weeks ago who had destroyed one bold student's campaign to abolish the school rules of no part-time jobs? Those fellows certain were ecstatic to dance on your strings, weren't they?"

Miss Chouno froze at this, "W-what are you talking about? I-I've done none of those things!" She tried to defend herself, but her voice lacked the conviction that she needed.

"You don't sound so certain." Yugi countered. "Maybe now you'll reconsider accepting my challenge?"

Chouno growled, "Fine, I accept."

"Just as I thought. Now," Suddenly, Yugi had to panes of glass in his hand. He tossed them both in the air and they broke apart in front of each of the players. He then tossed a strip of fabric in Chouno's direction.

"Here are the rules, Miss Chouno. We each out these blindfolds on and then try to put the glass back together again. And just to be safe, each of us have a pair of gloves. We wouldn't want those lovely fingers of yours to become injured, now would we?" The way Yugi spat that last part made it clear how he felt about Miss Chouno.

Chouno watched as Yugi pulled on his gloves and blindfolded himself, and she soon followed suit.

"If you win, you may expel me immediately. However, if I win, you will drop the charges brought up by that puzzle."

"Agreed."

"Game start." Yugi called, and immediately they both started out trying to put their glass puzzles together.

It wasn't long before Chouno grew tired of the lack of progress she was making. The game was dragging on too long for her liking, and she needed this upstart gone so that her secret would remain untold.

She lifted her blindfold to find Yugi's still firmly in place, and he was almost halfway through with his puzzle.

Without anything blocking her vision, she easily began piecing her glass puzzle together in short time. It wasn't until the last piece was in place that the she felt the temperature in the room drop drastically.

"I knew you couldn't play fairly, Miss Chouno. Now you must pay the penalty for cheating." Yugi stood from his chair, suddenly appearing a little taller, and Chouno could see that the boy…or rather girl, across from her was shapelier than the boy who had first come into the room with the other boys.

"Who are you?" She demanded.

"You don't have to know who I am, simply that I am the one who has brought you your just desserts." The strange female raised her hand, and she said in a calm voice, "Reveal your true face."

Chouno immediately saw chips of her makeup falling to the table. She quickly covered her face and rushed out of the room.

Joey and Tristan came rushing inside to see Yugi brushing shards of glass into a trash bin.

"What happened in here?" Joey asked.

"Nothing much. She dropped the matter of the puzzle, so we can forget about her bothering us again." Yugi replied.

He turned and smiled at his friends, "Let's go back."

* * *

"It was my message that was on the puzzle, Ribbon. I was wondering if you would go out with me?" Tristan asked.

Miho looked up into Tristan's face, then dropped her eyes as she shook her head, "I'm sorry, but I just don't feel the same way for you, Tristan." She tried to let him down gently, but those softly spoken words were like bullets to the heart.

"Oh, well then, I'm sorry to have wasted your time."

Tristan tried to regain his dignity by calmly walking away, but as soon as he was with Joey and Yugi, he broke down into hysterics.

"It's all right, Tristan." Joey tried to comfort him.

"Yeah, he's right. There are more women out there. Hey, maybe we should go grab a burger somewhere? I'll pay for it." Yugi offered.

Tristan looked down at Yugi and smirked weakly, "Sounds like a plan."

Even though Tristan didn't get the girl he wanted, at least whatever problems had been between Yugi and Tristan were resolved.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of the characters from the anime. I barely even own the plot, but the tweaks and Yami's female persona do belong to me. **

**A/N: I just wanted to take a moment and thank all of you who took the time and submitted a review. I know that there are many series rewrites out there in our fandom, and many fans tend to steer away from stories such as this because some find them boring. I just wanted you all to know I do appreciate your support and interest in this story and I have many plans for this story coming up, so I hope you can all be patient while I'm getting around to those points. Again, thank you all. Even those who just read the story but didn't review, your support is just as precious. So thank you. ^_^ Now, on with the story. **

* * *

**Chapter Four**

Sirens blared deafeningly in the dead of night, spotlights skittering across the ground frantically in pursuit of something they couldn't see. Frantic shouting erupted from the cold, stone prison building.

Jirou, also known as the Yellow Spider, slammed his fist against the jaw of an unsuspecting security guard, knocking the man back against the wall and dazing him. Jirou lifted the guards Glock off of his belt and turned the gun on the man, shooting him right between his eyes.

Maniacal laughter sprang from Jirou's throat as he dragged the dead security guard into an empty broom closet and stripped him of his clothing, exchanging his blood splattered orange jumpsuit for the police uniform.

"You all didn't stand a chance against me today. Lady Luck is on my side now." Jirou jeered, and then broke out into yet another bout of laughter as he exited the closet and made his way to the exit.

As silent as the night, Jirou walked out onto the police car parking lot, jimmied the lock, and hotwired the car in less than five minutes. Right under the noses of the scrambling police officers, security guards, and the floodlights, Jirou drove his stolen car out of the lot and vanished out of sight.

* * *

Joey Wheeler stretched his arms up over his head, groaning in pleasure as he felt the tension of having to stay seated the entire day lifted from him.

"Finally. I thought this day would never end." Joey murmured in relief. "Hey Yugi, want to go do something on our way home?"

Yugi smiled broadly, "Yes! I heard there's this new fast food restaurant that just opened up recently has the _best _hamburgers in town." He replied excitedly.

"Sounds good to me." Joey said. "How about you Tristan? Feel like grabbing a bite?"

"I'm down with that." Tristan replied, rubbing his stomach in anticipation.

"Hey guys," Tea called out. "About that Burger World place…"

"You want to come too?" Yugi wondered, half hoping she'd accept.

"No, I wouldn't want to go to that place. They have had some real bad luck since it opened. They serve real poor food, and many people got sick when it first opened. You shouldn't go there either." Tea replied.

"Oh, is that really true…hmm, then maybe you would want to go with us to the Calorie Burger in front of the station?" Yugi offered.

"Uh-uh, I can't. And besides, the principal had made it clear that all students were supposed to go straight home after school. Remember that escaped convict?"

"Oh! That's right! Everybody is in a panic over it!" Yugi exclaimed.

"Huh? What about it? You turning chicken on us?" Joey accused.

"But I heard that he has a gun." Yugi muttered in poor defense.

Joey watched as Tea left the room, swearing that he heard her sigh in relief as she reached the door. He stayed silent until the door closed behind her.

"Hey Yugi, is it just me or is Tea suddenly acting a little strange?" Joey asked.

"Maybe a little, I guess. She hasn't walked home with us in quite some time." Yugi replied.

"I think she's doing that teenaged prostitution stuff."

"That's ridiculous. Tea's as straight-laced, little goody two-shoes as they come." Tristan rebuked.

"Yes, that's right! Tea would never do something like that." Yugi agreed vehemently.

Joey smirked at how red Yugi's face was becoming, "Ooh, Yugi, why so embarrassed? Could it be that you-"

"No, it's nothing like that!"

"Me doth thinks he protests too much." Joey teased.

Yugi groaned, "You're impossible, Joey!"

"Maybe we should follow her and see what she's up to then?" Joey suddenly reverted back to the original point of subject.

Yugi shook his head, but found himself being dragged behind Joey as the blond picked up his bag and went toward the door.

"If this is all you guys are doing today, then I'm going home." Tristan said.

"Sure, see you tomorrow Tristan." Joey called over his shoulder as he and Yugi disappeared around the corner.

* * *

They found Tea once more out in front of the schoolyard, heading toward the business district of town. They stayed a safe distance behind while they followed her. Once, when they came to an intersection, Tea turned her head in the direction Yugi and Joey would have been if they hadn't quickly taken shelter behind a statue of a human-sized bear. They waited there until the walker's light turned green and Tea started across the street.

All too soon, they spotted Tea entering through the front doors of a building. The moment they got a better look at the building, both boys became dumbfounded.

They stood directly in front of Burger World.

Confused and outrageously curious, Yugi and Joey approach the entrance. The automatic doors slid open, and there, standing before them, was Tea decked out in a blur of green and yellow. She wore a light mint green blouse, forest green short skirt, a yellow necktie, and yellow bow in her short brown hair. She was bowing, winking, a pleasant smile on her face, and one hand raised in a leading gesture.

"Welcome to Burger World! Let me show you to your seats." Tea said in a cheerful tone of voice. She was the picture of excellent customer service until she saw whom it was that stood in front of her. The smile fell from her face, and she spun until her back was facing Yugi and Joey.

After a moment, she turned back around, a forced smile now curving her lips as she lifted her hand again, "Please follow me."

The boys were seated and placed their order, but Yugi felt apprehensive at seeing the look on Tea's face.

"I don't think we should be here, Joey. Tea looked really upset just now." He murmured.

"Pfft, this is what she gets for keeping secrets." Joey brushed Yugi's concern aside.

"But…" Yugi trailed off as he remembered the first sight of Tea in her work uniform. _Wow, she looked so cute. _

Not even an instant after Yugi finished with that thought, a tray slammed down hard against the table top between the two. They looked up in shock at Tea, who had an upturned bottle of ketchup in her hand. If looks could kill, Yugi and Joey would be splattered against the wall in a pile of smoldering goo, Tea was so outraged.

"Please, enjoy your burgers with our famous ketchup."

She squeezed the bottle with all her might, and the ketchup streamed from the nozzle to completely cover their burgers, fries, part of the tray, and a bit of the table. The boys looked down at their food to find Tea had spelt out a message.

"_If you tell, I will kill you."_

"Hey, Tea!" Joey exclaimed while Yugi looked broken. "What's the big idea, ruining our food like that? We are paying customers after all."

"Since you know already, I might as well tell you." Tea muttered under her breath before turning, "I'm saving up money so that I can go to America after I graduate."

"Yeah? America huh?" The boys said in unison.

"I want to study dance in New York." Tea added, then glared at them once more, "You both had better not laugh."

"We would never." Yugi denied emphatically. "Right Joey?"

"Of course. Relax, Tea, your secret is safe with us." Joey agreed before he looked down at the tray, "But how is this place supposed to sell burgers with them all smothered in ketchup like this?"

"I'll get you a new order, and it'll be on me. Sorry about the trouble." Tea replied, looking a little embarrassed at her show of temper.

* * *

Tea opened her shoe locker, and a sheet of paper fell out. She picked it up off the floor to see that it was a message.

"_I know your secret. Meet me in the equipment shed today after school, or else I will turn you in to the principal." _

Tea turned the message over to see a picture of herself in her work uniform at Burger World on the other side. Angry at being blackmailed like this, she was already figuratively frothing at the mouth when she slammed the door open in the shed and waltzed inside.

"Yugi, Joey, if you're in here, come out and face me." She called out.

The door closed suddenly behind her, and she spun to see a strange man in a green jogging outfit behind her.

"Don't you dare put up a fight or else I'll tell." He threatened as he moved closer.

Tea backed away until her back hit a blockade behind her and she could no longer get away from him. He pulled out a video camera and pressed the record button. He shoved her down to the ground and was crouched over her when the door to the shed opened again and Yugi ran inside screaming, "Get away from her!"

He wound his arms around the man's abdomen, attempting to get him away from Tea, but he was quickly knocked away.

"Yugi!" Tea cried, and she lunged forward, sinking her teeth into the man's forearm.

He shook her off easily, and she slammed her head against the wall hard enough to knock the wind out of her.

The man crouched low over the girl once more, the camera fixed on the apex of the girl's legs. He reached his hand out and began lifting the hem of her skirt. Just as he got a glance of the girl's white cotton panties did he hear someone come up behind him.

Thinking it was the runt of a boy who had tried to get the jump on him earlier, he didn't worry too much about it. But then a hand reached out and clasped a handful of his hair. With a jerk of his assailant's arm, He was sent sprawling out on his back a few inches away from the girl. It was indeed the boy from earlier…or maybe it wasn't, since this one looked fiercer, angrier, and much more feminine than the runt.

"Who-?"

"That is none of your concern." She snarled as she covered her hand over his face and whispered in a harsh tone of voice, "Mind crush!"

Tea started coming to after only about five minutes after she had been knocked unconscious. It took a moment to remember what had happened, and suddenly she was swinging her head around frantically, looking for Yugi.

"Tea, are you okay?"

Yugi knelt in front of her, his face a picture of worry as he cupped her face in his hands. "You're not hurt badly are you? Do you need to go to a hospital? What were you doing in here by yourself anyway?" Yugi questioned.

"I got this message in my shoe locker after P.E. and told me to come here. I thought it had been Joey or…"

"Or me? Tea, we told you that your secret is safe with us. We would never betray your trust like that."

Yugi appeared to be on the verge of tears that Tea would even think that he had been playing her for a fool.

"I'm sorry." She murmured and wrapped her arms around Yugi to help sooth his ragged nerves. Then a thought struck her, "Wait, what happened to that man?"

The pair turned to find the man laying on the ground a few feet away, flat on his back, his eyes half-lidded and unseeing. For a moment, they thought he was dead, if it weren't for the shallow exhalations that rocked his chest occasionally.

"What happened to him?" Tea wondered.

"I have no idea, but we should get out of here and call the authorities to handle this."

_Could the one responsible for Ushio and Inogashira have done this to him? _Tea thought to herself as Yugi pulled her to her feet and slung her arm across his shoulders to help support her.

"I'll have to call my work and say I won't be in today. My head hurts and I feel nauseous." She muttered.

"Let's worry about getting you home first, okay?" Yugi replied, his amethyst eyes scanning her face once again for injury. Aside from the sizable bump on the back of her head, she looked more or less whole.

"Thank goodness I saw you go into the shed or else that might have ended badly." Yugi breathed.

"Thank you for helping me, Yugi." Tea finally responded.

"Anytime."

* * *

That Friday, Joey, Tristan, and Yugi decided to go to Burger World. Even after the ketchup incident, both Joey and Yugi agreed that the place did have the best hamburgers in town, and Tristan hadn't tried them yet. Tea greeted them with a large smile and immediately showed them to a table, genuinely happy to see them. She had said that it was all right if Joey and Yugi told Tristan that she worked here, but nobody besides him, just for precaution.

As they ate and conversed, Joey and Tristan trying to worm the story of what had happened in the supply shed out of Yugi when they heard an odd noise coming from the door. The boys turned to find a strange man with three sevens tattooed on his forehead holding Tea, with her back to his chest, a shiny pistol pointed to her temple. It was the escaped convict, Jirou.

"Nobody make any sudden moves or else this girl gets it." He shouted to the customers and employees. "I won't be staying long, but I'm in need of nourishment."

Joey, Tristan, and Yugi watched as Jirou dragged Tea to the nearest booth.

"Now then," He drawled as he pulled the ribbon out of Tea's hair and blindfolded her with it, "I don't want you to say a thing. Did you know, being blinded makes a person more afraid, and muted does the exact opposite? What do you think they do to death row inmates before they are put in the chair?"

"Now, bring me anything I want…who should be the one to serve me?" Jirou scanned the crowd of customers and employees before pointing his gun straight at Yugi, "You, the weak-looking shrimp, bring me booze and cigarettes! Lucky Stripe." He commanded. "Everyone else, get down on the ground. If anyone takes one step toward me, this girl gets killed." He warned.

Joey and Tristan dropped to the floor immediately, all the while worrying over Yugi and thinking how cowardly Jirou was for using a woman as a hostage. Unfortunately for them, a larger, plumper man was curled up in front of them, obscuring their view of what was happening.

It took a while, but Yugi returned with a tray of clear booze, a full pack of Lucky Stripe cigarettes, and a zippo lighter.

_Earlier, this man said something about a weak-looking shrimp, didn't he? Could he have meant…?_

Tea's heart ramped up a little as her mind flashed to the only person she knew that might fit such a harsh description.

"Yugi! It's you isn't it? Don't come over here!" Tea screamed as she leapt to her feet.

"Shut the hell up, bitch!" Jirou shouted as he slapped Tea hard across the face. She fell back to the booth seat, slumping a little. She heard Yugi scream her name, and then there was silence.

She heard soft, slightly stealthy footsteps approaching.

"Here are the items you ordered." Someone said, and then there was a slight squeak of someone sitting down on the leather seat across from them.

Tea knew immediately that this couldn't be Yugi. Sure, the voice was similar, in a strange way, but the voice belonged to a woman. It was strong, confident, and yet still had the velvety tone that made it identifiably woman.

"Hey, who said you could sit down?" Jirou demanded indignantly.

"I thought you might like to play a game with me while you enjoy your libations?" She replied.

Only a fool would think that this person was actually asking a question. That had been an order.

"A game huh? I suppose I can do with a little fun. It is my lucky day today." Jirou accepted.

"The one who loses this game today will die." The woman cautioned.

Tea shivered at the malevolence in this person's voice. It was off that she felt compelled to put her faith in a woman she had never met in her life, and now calmly told Jirou that one of them would die in this so-called game.

* * *

"Interesting…what are the rules?" Jirou asked, while he popped a cigarette in his mouth, but didn't light it as he went to pour himself a glass of the liquor.

"Each of us will choose one of our fingers, and that is the only finger that we can move during the duration of the game. Which finger you use is entirely up to you. So which finger will it be?" The woman explained.

"Easy, I choose my index finger." Jirou replied.

"Then I choose my thumb."

_This guy is insane. But whatever, it's his funeral. _Jirou thought, not noticing as the guy opposite him grabbed the zippo in his hand.

"Game start." He announced.

"And game over!" Jirou blurted out, starting to pull the trigger, but he saw the boy lift the light up into view, flipping the lid open and the fire lit instantly.

"I thought you might like me to light your cigarette for you." He stated.

"Hmm, fine." Jirou said, "As your last act on this Earth, you may light my cigarette for me."

"Much obliged." He murmured and brought the fire to the head of the cigarette.

As Jirou puffed enough to get it to light, the guy dropped the lighter and it somehow landed on top of Jirou's hand.

"Now it's game over." The boy stated, "That is Russian vodka you are pouring all over your lap. That's 90% alcohol flowing over you. You could go ahead and shoot me now, but the recoil will cause the lighter to fall and you'll be burned to smithereens for your efforts."

The guy stood, grabbed Tea and pulled her out of the seat.

Jirou's lips slackened on his cigarette, and while his attention was focused on not making the lighter fall, he forgot about the cigarette. It fell from his mouth and landed on his lap. Immediately upon impact, the inferno rippled over Jirou and he burned endlessly for several minutes, unable to get away from the fire until finally it killed him.

* * *

Anzu tore off the ribbon around her eyes and looked down at the person beside her. Yugi's wide, innocent amethyst eyes met hers as he stared back at her, perplexed but ecstatic that Tea was safe.

"What just happened?" Tea demanded.

"What do you mean?" Yugi wondered, thoroughly confused.

Tea frowned, but shook her head, "Never mind."

* * *

Burger World was temporarily closed for repairs. Tea took being laid off surprisingly well.

"Are you sure that's all right? I mean, what about your dream?" Yugi wondered.

"Sure. It means I have more time to spend more time with you." Tea replied with a smile.

"Really?" Yugi cried excitedly.

As Yugi gushed over the aspect of having more time to spend with Tea, Tea fell deep into thought.

_Who was the owner of that voice? _She wondered inwardly. _She saved my life, and left without even letting me know what she even looks like._

"Hey Tea, do you want to go with Joey and me to the new ramen place by the station?"

"Sure, I was starting to feel a bit hungry anyway."

_Whoever she is, I hope I will get a chance to meet her, to thank her properly for what she did._


	5. Chapter 5 Part 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of the characters from the anime. I don't even own the majority of the plot, but the tweaks and twists are mine, and Yami's female persona. That's all. **

* * *

**Chapter Five - Part One**

"What's so great about a boring museum exhibit?" Tristan demanded.

"Well, I just thought that it would be a good idea for us to have a day out together. It's an ancient Egyptian exhibit, and even has the real life mummy of a former pharaoh on display. My Millennium Puzzle was found in a pharaoh's tomb." Yugi explained feeling a little disheartened by Tristan's response to his idea.

Yesterday afternoon, Yugi's grandpa told him about a personal invitation he had received from an old archaeologist friend he had worked with during his prime. The exhibit would open on Sunday, and the Moutos had been invited as special guests to the viewing. Yugi had asked if it would be all right to bring his friends along, seeing as it would be a good way to spend a day together and maybe hang out a bit after the exhibit, but now he wondered if he was acting a bit like a geek.

Joey smacked Tristan upside the hide and the pair glared at each other before Tristan sighed, backing down first.

"Look Yugi, I didn't mean to make it sound like I wasn't interested in spending time with you, just that whole museum thing isn't really my thing. Besides, my sister wants me to babysit her son tomorrow, and I couldn't go even if I wanted to."

Still feeling a bit stung, Yugi forced a smile and nodded, "That's fine."

"Well, it sounds interesting to me. I'd love to go." Anzu spoke up, also looking a bit disappointed in the brunet.

"Yeah, I want to take a look at that mummy." Joey replied.

Anzu looked a bit wistful, "Egypt is so mysterious. You said your Puzzle was found there?"

"Yep." Yugi chirped, cupping his hands around the upside-down pyramid that was dangling above his stomach.

"And didn't your grandpa say that the members of the excavation team all die mysteriously within a month after uncovering the Millennium Puzzle?" Anzu inquired, visibly shying away from Yugi and his mystical Puzzle.

"Well, I suppose he did, but nothing has happened to me yet, and I've had the puzzle for over a month now."

"But wait, do you mean that there is some kind of curse on this thing?" Joey exclaimed.

"No, Joey. The Puzzle isn't cursed." Yugi replied, shaking his head in light rebuke.

None of them decided to mention the fact that ever since Yugi solved the Puzzle, people all around the city have started getting hurt, confused, and some even died. They figured it was just a coincidence, and in all honesty, every one of those people who have been strangely harmed in any way deserved what they got.

"All right then. It's settled. We'll meet at the giant fountain in the square at two tomorrow, and we'll all walk to the museum together." Anzu said.

"Yeah, and then afterward, we can grab a burger or three and then spend the rest of the day at the arcade." Yugi added excitedly.

"Sounds good." Joey and Anzu agreed, and Tristan was looking a bit put out about being left out.

* * *

"Hey Yug! I guess I'm the last one, huh?" Joey called out as he rushed toward Yugi, Anzu, and Sugoroku. He wasn't overly late, just by a few minutes, but he still felt a little bad for making them wait even that long.

"It's all right. We have plenty of time." Yugi assured, "Let's get going."

The four walked the short distance to the Domino museum, where they spotted a lone figure standing atop the multitude of stairs leading to the entrance to the museum.

Sugoroku squinted up and then his face lit up as he hurried up the stairs as best he could to reach his friend at the top.

"Ah, Sugoroku, it's so good to see you again, old friend." The man proclaimed as the pair shook hands and exchanged nods.

"Hello, sir. Thank you for inviting us." Yugi spoke shyly as he caught up to his grandpa.

"You are most welcome, my boy." The professor replied with a kind smile.

"Yugi, this is my dear friend, Mr. Yoshimori."

"Pleasure to meet you finally. Your grandpa has told me much about you."

Yugi flushed under the attention he was receiving, and he turned to his friends, "These are my friends, Anzu Mazaki and Joey Wheeler."

"Thank you for having us." Anzu politely offered.

"Yeah, this is gonna be awesome." Joey added, although he did look a bit nervous.

"Are these are guests for the day?"

The additional voice drew everyone's attention. "Ah, Sugoroku, this is the exhibit curator and the superintendent of the museum, Professor Kanekura." Yoshimori introduced them to the short, portly, balding older man, with a graying full mustache and cold, beady black eyes. Yugi didn't like him; he could almost taste the wickedness in the man's heart.

"Welcome to my museum, Mr. Mouto." Kanekura said, his thin lips curling into a slightly malicious grin. He turned his head to Yoshimori and spoke something in a quiet tone to the taller man.

"Ah, Sugoroku, didn't you tell me that your grandson actually succeeded in solving the Millennium Puzzle?" The man inquired.

"Why yes, he certainly did." Sugoroku boasted.

Yugi didn't feel comfortable with the way the superintendent raked his eyes over his form before they landed on his Puzzle.

"Oh! There it is. The legendary Millennium Puzzle. I never would have dreamed I would be able to see it in my lifetime." Kanekura exclaimed excitedly, moving toward the boy and making a grab for his Puzzle.

Yugi turned his body enough to keep Kanekura from touching it, and placed his hands over it to shield it from the older man's touch.

"You see, Professor Kanekura is an arts dealer, and he has an excellent eye." Yoshimori explained to a bewildered Yugi.

"Ah, so it's that valuable?" Yugi murmured, glancing down at his Puzzle. It was priceless to him, but he didn't think that anyone else would think it was worth too much.

"I beg you, please let me showcase your Puzzle in my exhibit?" Kanekura pleaded.

"I don't think that's such a good idea." Yugi replied, shaking his head and stepping back yet again from the older man. He could see the greed flooding his gimlet eyes.

"Please? It's almost selfish to keep a priceless Egyptian artifact like that all to yourself, my dear boy. Everyone should have the opportunity to see it for themselves." Kanekura tried to reason.

Yugi still wasn't too comfortable even considering Kanekura's offer. Sure, he wouldn't mind if people saw his Puzzle, but he had issues trusting this man. Something about him simply didn't feel quite right.

But, was it really so selfish that he wanted to keep his Puzzle to himself? It was his most precious treasure…perhaps he was just being a bit too suspicious. If his grandpa knew Yoshimori, and Yoshimori was willing to vouch for Kanekura, was Yugi simply overreacting?

"I guess, but only for today. I want it back before the museum closes."" Yugi said.

"Oh! That's perfect. One day would do just fine!" Kanekura accepted.

Yugi was extremely hesitant to let go of his Puzzle, but eventually he coaxed himself into placing his treasure in the superintendent's hands. "Please be extra careful with this?" He cautioned.

"Oh, you can count on it. I would never allow any harm to come to your Millennium Puzzle." The man replied as he turned and disappeared through the doors of the museum.

* * *

"Whoa, this is so awesome." Anzu exclaimed as she admired a display case filled with lovely jewelry made from gold and precious stones.

"Do you get to keep any of this stuff?" Joey wondered, eying a statue of the god Horus.

"If only I could. Egyptologists used to be able to keep half of their findings, but in 1922, the Antiquities Department passed a law saying that all artifacts of Egypt stay in Egypt."

"But I thought that Egyptologists want to get really rich, and that's why they're always looking for treasure in the tombs and such." Yugi wondered. "Does that mean my Millennium Puzzle is stolen Egyptian heritage?"

"No." Yoshimori replied with a light chuckle, "Your puzzle was found predating the law of 1922, so that Puzzle is rightfully yours."

"Oh, thank goodness." Yugi breathed in relief.

"I'll just be a moment. I'll go put the Millennium Puzzle out on display." Kanekura announced as he started away from the group, Yugi's eyes fixed on the direction the superintendent had gone long after the man had disappeared from sight.

Anzu was admiring a stone tablet with beautiful hieroglyphs and carvings of odd half-animal, half-human creatures.

"This is so beautiful." She said.

"That is the rendition of judgment of Osiris." Yoshimori explained, hearing her comment, "When one dies, their hearts are weighed on the scales of Osiris, and if the bad of that person's life outweighs the good, their hearts were fed to the demon, Ammit."

Yoshimori led the group through another archway, and in a large glass case, a breathtaking gold sarcophagus lay open, and a wrinkled, graying body lay in the padding of the coffin. Joey tried to make a run for it, but Anzu grabbed him by the front of his jacket and tugged him forward, "If I can handle looking at a dead man, so can you." She barked.

After a few minutes in front of the mummy of the long-dead pharaoh, the majority of the group went on ahead, but Yugi stood before the display case a little while longer. He didn't notice there was another person with him until the rustling of fabric announced that there had been some draft that had gotten caught up in their clothes.

Yugi turned his head and spied a tall, richly tan man, where pale tan robes and a white turban on his head. He had bottomless cobalt eyes, black khol surrounded them, punctuating their color and highlighting the moisture that fell in streams down his cheeks.

"Why are you crying?" Yugi asked in a sheepish tone of voice.

The man looked at him for only a moment before he turned back to the mummified pharaoh, "These tears are not my own, but his. In this state, the Pharaoh looks like a doll made from dust, but he lives on with his name. However, he has been denied eternal rest, and therefore his grief appears on my face in the form of these tears." The strange foreigner explained.

Yugi wondered briefly about the mental capacity of this man.

"You are a kind boy." The man commented as he ruffled Yugi's spiky hair.

By the time Yugi could dredge up enough anger at the implication that his was still a young boy to give that man a piece of his mind, the foreign man had already gone.

"Yugi, hurry up, would you?" Yugi heard his grandpa call out to him, and he rushed to catch up to them.

"Hey look over there, Yugi! It's your Puzzle." Joey pointed out.

Yugi's face erupted with joy as he rushed over to the display case that housed his Millennium Puzzle.

The superintendent and another man were already standing in front of the display case, admiring the Puzzle, when they heard the footsteps of the small entourage. The pair had left when the group arrived.

"Wow, it looks so awesome in that case." Yugi commented as he pressed his palms to the glass, as though he would simply reach through and take it out.

"Let's take a picture, you guys." Anzu suggested, and the three teenagers and Sugoroku stood in front of the glass while Yoshimori took their picture.

None of them notice Kanekura skulking about in the shadows nearby, cackling softly to himself in his self-awareness of what was about to happen in regards to the Millennium Puzzle.

Oh yes, by day's end, he'd be a millionaire.

* * *

"Well, that was great. It was a lot more fun than I originally thought." Joey admitted as their little group exited the museum's front doors.

"Yeah, I want to go to Egypt one day." Yugi proclaimed as he stretched his arms overhead.

"We still have a few hours before the museum closes. Maybe we can grab a bite and then you can come back here to wait for your Puzzle." Anzu suggested.

"Well, I am a little hungry, and it is still a bit early…but," Yugi trailed off, really not liking the idea of leaving his Puzzle here on its own.

As if sensing the reason behind Yugi's hesitancy, Anzu pointed toward the east, "Look there, Yugi, there's a burger place just there. We won't be going too far."

Yugi's stomach growled in anticipation, and Yugi blushed as he scratched the back of his head, "Well, it is still a bit early…" Yugi agreed, more to himself than to anyone in particular.

"It's settled then, let's get some grub." Joey proclaimed and took off at a dead run toward the burger restaurant with Sugoroku and the other two teenagers trailing behind.

Yugi sat up against the outside wall of the museum, his eyes honed in on the clock in the square as it ticked the minutes away until he could have his precious treasure back again. Only three more minutes to go, and the museum would be closing.

After a few more minutes fussing and fidgeting, the clock struck six and Yugi launched himself to his feet as he ran inside the museum.

He first went to the display case where he had last seen his Puzzle, but when he saw it wasn't there, he backtracked and followed the signs until he reached a long hallway with several doors, each with its own shiny nameplate tacked to the wood.

He was reading the names on each of the nameplates when, from out of the corner of his eye, he spotted the slight flourish of light tan robes. He turned his head to see the foreigner from earlier in the day, and he was carrying the Millennium Puzzle in his hand.

"Why do you have my Puzzle?" Yugi wondered.

The man looked absolutely stunned by what Yugi had said, and before Yugi knew what was happening, the man advanced on him, holding up a gold, glinting object that looked suspiciously like a key. He pressed the tip of the object to Yugi's forehead, and then Yugi blacked out.

* * *

Two doors, one was open, the other closed tight and looked downright eerie. Shadi glanced in the open doorway of the room on his left, and he saw the room was brightly lit, with tons of childish toys littering the ground. He knew that the owner of this room was of innocence and child-like wonder.

The man then looked to the door on his right. It was black, made or iron with an upraised carving of a strange eye on the front. Thick, black vines clung to the metal of the door, giving it the appearance one might see in a nightmare.

"This may very well by the mind of a wicked being. I must be certain that the bearer of the Millennium Puzzle has no darkness in their heart."

Shadi reached out and grasped the door handle. It took some effort to get the door open, but he finally succeeded, and he found that the room was black as pitch. He took several steps inside, and it took a moment before Shadi could sense the other's presence.

Eyes of deep, burning crimson seared into Shadi's deep blue ones, but that was all he could make out from the shadow that resided within the shadows. The specter radiated danger, rage, and mounting hostility.

"Who dares enter my domain?" The voice was strong, smooth, and decidedly feminine.

"My name is Shadi." He offered.

He heard footsteps coming closer, and slowly the light from the room across the hall began to illuminate the other's form, starting from her leather, booted feet and climbing higher, up tightly clad calves and thighs, slender hips that swelled smoothly, continuing on until the light completely shown on the specter's body.

She wore her strange, tri-colored hair long and hanging down around her slender shoulders. Her cold, scarlet eyes bore her utmost rage, her arms crossed across her modest chest. She was clad in modern attire, made entirely of leather and cotton. A thin, black, cotton tank top hugged her supple chest and stomach. Tight-fitting leather trousers molded to her long, slender legs, the cuffs tucked into the mouths of her knee-high, black, high-heeled, buckle boots. She was lethal, dangerous, borderline feral, and Shadi had just intruded upon her sacred domain.

"And who, exactly, are you?" Shadi inquired.

"One does not come barging into another person's home unannounced, and especially uninvited, and begin to demand answers to questions that are none of their concern." The woman growled. "I don't know how you have come here, or what power you have used, but you threaten the life of the young boy who carries my Puzzle. Why don't you tell me why you are here, and maybe I might let you leave here alive."

Shadi stared at the woman before him with a mixture of horror and awe in his expression. This woman was dangerous, lethal, and borderline feral, and she was enraged at his intrusion.

"As an unexpected guest, I suppose it is only right for me to answer you." He began, "I have come to learn the true power of the Millennium Puzzle. I know of the power of the other six items, but the Puzzle is still a mystery to me. I have come to be here in your mind because of the power of one of the Millennium items, my Millennium Key. It is the key to unlocking people's mind rooms, just like this one. The mind room reflects the person's soul, their values, what they most desire, their strengths and their weaknesses."

"Is that right? So you just believe that it's well and good to come waltzing into another person's mind of your own accord?" The woman spat.

"By entering this boy's mind, I am able to understand the nature of the person, and whether or not he had inherited any power. If necessary, I shall take the Millennium Puzzle back to Egypt should I see that this child is unworthy of the power of the Puzzle."

"Heh! Over my dead body!" She screeched angrily.

And suddenly, as though a switched had just flipped on inside her mind, a small, sweet smile crossed her lips as she lowered her arms to dangle at her sides.

"All right then, how about we play a little game? If you want to see my power, then you'll have to find my true soul room, which is located somewhere in here. But it won't be easy to find."

Shadi was stunned at the change in this woman's attitude, "A game? And what are the stakes?"

"If you win, you'll have the answers you seek, and I'll let you leave here with your life still intact. But if you lose, or should you fail to find my soul room in, say, one hour, you'll have to play a penalty game with me." She explained.

"A penalty game?" He repeated stupidly.

"Yes, genius. In other words, this is a Shadow Game. Are you man enough to accept my challenge, or should I just do away with you now?" The woman asked.

Shadi couldn't wrap his head around this woman. Who was she? What was she? Where did she come from, and how did she even know about the Shadow Games?

Seeing no other alternative, Shadi nodded his head, "All right, I accept your challenge."

The woman smirked before snapping her fingers, and suddenly light flooded the entirety of the room, and Shadi's heart fell to somewhere near his knees. There were thousands upon thousands of doors in this place, on every single surface.

"Game start." The woman announced before she faded into nothing, leaving Shadi alone to start his search.

But where did Shadi begin? There were countless doors as far as the eye could see, and only one of them was that woman's soul room. Considering this was a Shadow Game, most of the decoy doors would be booby-trapped, Shadi reasoned.

"Well, I'd best get started then."

He walked up the closest flight of stairs, and he opened the first door at the top. Immediately, a huge stone weight fell from the sky and would have smashed Shadi beneath its massive weight if he had been even a step further inside the room.

This continued on, each door he came to had another trap behind it. One had unleashed a torrent of water rushing out toward him, knocking him back and throwing him clear down to the ground floor. Another had a wall of fire come up from the ground inside the doorframe that had singed the train of his robes.

He decided to use the power of his Millennium Key to guide him toward the right door. He didn't know how much time had already passed since the game began, but he was sure that he didn't have much longer before it was all over.

Finally, his Millennium Key led him to a door that had once been located on the tallest ceiling from the front entrance to the room. He cautiously eased the door open, only to find the woman sitting majestically on a stone chair that had the watered-down appearance of a throne.

"Did I find your soul room?" Shadi demanded.

"Hmm, does it feel like my soul room, stranger?" The woman shot back.

Shadi carefully approached the woman, but as he came to the center of the room, the bricks beneath Shadi's feet began to crumble and fall out from under him. He let out a startled scream as he fell. He just barely managed to catch hold of the side of the hole before he could plummet to his untimely demise.

Shadi looked up to find the woman grinning down at him as he hung above the black abyss below him, her smug expression sending a chill of pure terror through his soul.

"Maybe I should just push you in?" She murmured, as if thinking out loud.

Droplets of sweat began to pop up on his face. The woman crouched down close to the hole and held out her hand. Suspicious at first, the woman gave him a disarming smile, "It's all right, my hand isn't a trap."

Shadi didn't hesitate to grab hold of the woman's hand and she pulled him out of the hole with only a bit of effort.

"Thank you." Shadi panted.

"Don't thank me, if it were up to me, I would have let you fall. It would serve you right for your arrogance and self-importance. But I didn't want your stinking soul to pollute Yugi's." The woman turned her back on Shadi, "Now get out while you still can." She ordered, and with a flash of bright, white light, and what felt like a strong gale of wind, Shadi was thrown out of the woman's soul and the young boy's mind altogether.

* * *

Shadi collapsed before the boy, panting and trying fruitlessly to recollect his ragged thoughts.

"Hey, mister? Are you all right? You look a bit pale." Yugi asked, placing his index finger below his lower lip in worry.

"Yes, I am fine. Ah, yes, here. I believe this belongs to you?" Shadi offered Yugi the Millennium Puzzle.

Yugi snatched it away so fast, it might have left a vapor trail. "Thank you. I don't know how you got a hold of it, but thanks for giving it back to me."

"No need to thank me. I am the one in your debt." Shadi murmured.

"Debt? Did I loan you some money or something?" Yugi asked before he could realize how stupid that question had been.

"No, I am in debt to the other you."

Yugi couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of that statement, "The other me?"

Shadi gave Yugi an odd look before he spoke once more, "What is your name, child?"

"Not "child", I'm just Yugi. And there's only one of me." Yugi replied.

It was a long while before Shadi spoke again, "Be on your guard, Yugi. You will become aware of your other self soon enough."

"Huh?"

"Someday soon, you will discover the secret, the true power of the Millennium Puzzle. That is the destiny of the one who possesses it." Shadi explained.

_My other self? The Millennium Puzzle's true power?_

"My name is Shadi." The man said, and then he walked away, leaving Yugi in a state of shock.


	6. Chapter 5 Part 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, and I barely even own the storyline. I only own the little tweaks and quirks not in the anime or manga, and the Yami's female persona. **

**A/N: Everybody gets the point, yes? I don't own, and I don't make any money from this fanfic. I lose time writing these stupid disclaimers, so I think now that you all have the general idea that almost none of this story belongs to me, and all rights go to Kazuki Takahashi, and that this story is purely for the fandom and not for monetary gain, then I think I'll skip writing these at the start of the chapters to save time and space. Get it? Got it? Good! Now, on with the story. ^_^ Please, enjoy. **

* * *

**Chapter Five – Part Two**

Yugi's mind was spinning, filled with far too many questions and none of them seemed to have any answers. It was frustrating not understanding anything, and considering the thing Yugi didn't understand involved his precious treasure, this was doubly irritating. He wished he could just dismiss that stranger's – Shadi's – ramblings as the ravings of a mentally unstable man, but something about what he had said seemed to have brought something to mind that up until now, Yugi didn't even know he had been wondering about.

Ever since that night he had solved the Millennium Puzzle, he had begun to have strange periods of time where his memory failed, as though during those points in time he had been sleeping. However, it was much more complicated than that, because once he regained his memory after those memory lapses, he found himself in strange places, with strange people around, that he knew hadn't been there before he lost his memory. Most of the time, those people were injured in some way, or confused about something, and Yugi was beginning to get a bad feeling that it might very well be because of his Millennium Puzzle.

He wished he could meet with Shadi again and make him answer some of his concerns, but no doubt Shadi was long gone, probably back to his homeland, by now.

Yugi was staring at the eye on the front of his Puzzle when the door to his bedroom burst open. He spun in his desk chair to see his grandpa peeking in his room, "It's terrible Yugi! On the news."

Yugi got up and followed his grandpa down to the living room where the television was still blaring the disturbing news report.

Professor Kanekura's likeness was posted on a photograph on the screen, and Yugi suddenly had a horrible feeling about what this could be about.

"_Superintendent of Domino Museum, Junichiro Kanekura was found dead in his office this evening after an employee at the museum reported having smelled a horrid stench coming from the professor's office. When the employee knocked, she didn't receive an answer, and so she cautiously peeked inside the room, and that is how she found the body. _

"_Coroners have let known that Kanekura's death was triggered from a massive amount of shock that had consequently burst his heart. The coroner couldn't figure out what might have been able to produce this sort of death, but he did say that Kanekura had been scared to death. _

"_Investigators at the scene did find a bit of writing on the floor beside Kanekura's body, written on it was the message, "The curse of the Pharaoh's tomb."_

"It's so strange, we just met Kanekura this afternoon, and suddenly he's dead." Sugoroku murmured under his breath.

Yugi's heart was hammering in his chest, "Grandpa, you don't think that it was actually a curse that killed him, do you?"

"Well, I can't say for sure. Similar things had been said after the archaeologists who discovered the tomb of Tutankhamen began to mysteriously die one by one. Back then, saying something like that would draw some attention, but not in this day in age. But, I'm more worried about my old friend, Yoshimori. He had been the other person to enter the pharaoh's tomb with Kanekura. I'll go pay him a visit and see if he's all right." Sugoroku explained.

"Do you mind if I come too?" Yugi asked.

"It's far past curfew for you Yugi, and besides, you have school in the morning. I'll be just fine. I'll be back in no time." Sugoroku assured.

Yugi felt disheartened, but he nodded, "All right, grandpa."

"Now, you go on upstairs and get some sleep."

"Okay. Good night, grandpa!"

"Goodnight, Yugi."

* * *

"So, first the superintendent of the museum is found dead in his office, and now this Professor Yoshimori is injured after being thrown out a window last night?" Tristan asked after Yugi finished relating his story from when his grandpa came home early this morning, looking tired and distraught.

"I guess so." Yugi replied, looking troubled.

"And then we've got this goober over here…what's your story, Joey?"

The boys turned to take in the blond's form, with the red talisman on his forehead, a ring of garlic and silver crucifix hung around his neck, and a few superstitious knick-knacks in his hands.

"It's the curse of the mummy that's been getting these people. I need to be ready for anything." Joey replied.

"How many times must we say it before you'll get it through your head? Curses don't exist."

"Oh yeah? Well how do you explain what's been going on lately? I'm telling you, that mummy was cursed!"

Movement at the corner of his eye caused Yugi to look over to find Anzu coming into the classroom and head for her desk.

"Hey, Anzu!" He called out, but she continued on her way, and when she sat down in her seat, she glanced over at Yugi, and she smiled, but it wasn't like her usual smile at all. It was lifeless and her eyes were void of emotion.

Yugi hoped that she would be all right.

* * *

"Yugi, would you get the white line marker from the supply shed, please?" Mr. Kouzai, the physical education teacher, asked.

"Yes sir." Yugi replied before dashing off toward the shed near the back of the gymnasium.

"White line chalk…white line chalk…ah! There it is!" Yugi exclaimed as he found the little orange box on the floor, which had been propped up on wheels.

As he reached down to pick the box up, the iron poles that had been propped up against the wall a moment ago came crashing down. If Yugi had been standing in the same place that he had been, the poles would have landed on him instead of falling harmlessly to the ground. He quickly stood the poles back up against the walls before he grabbed the chalk box and ran out to get it to his teacher.

* * *

"And then the poles fell. Two more seconds, and I would have been smashed." Yugi said as he, Joey, and Tristan were walking to their next period class together.

"Well, good thing you moved then." Joey replied.

They were so deep in conversation that none of them noticed the basketball that was rolling down the stairs until it got caught under Yugi's feet. He lost his balance and tumbled down a flight of stairs before coming to settle at the bottom, landing hard on his back.

"Yugi!" Tristan cried as he and Joey rushed down the stairs to see if their friend was all right.

"You all right, man?" Joey asked as he helped Yugi to his feet.

"Yeah, I'm all right." Yugi muttered as he rubbed his hand over the small of his back, which had taken the brunt of the fall.

"Man, I'm telling you, this is because of the mummy's curse. You've been having bad luck all day long." Joey cautioned.

"Oh, put a sock in it, Joey. Let's get him to the infirmary." Tristan snapped.

* * *

After their next class, Joey and Tristan decided to take a moment to check in on Yugi to see how he was doing. They walked in on Yugi, lying on the floor of the infirmary, and Anzu straddling his waist, with her hands wrapped around Yugi's throat.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing, Anzu." Joey shouted as he wrapped his arms around Anzu's waist and lifted her off of Yugi, tossing her on the bed nearby.

She bounced off of the mattress and landed effortlessly on her feet.

"Show me your true power." She murmured under her breath, her voice not quite sounding like her own.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Joey demanded, but Anzu suddenly took off running out of the room, shoving Tristan aside on her way out.

"Yugi, you all right?" Joey asked.

"Yeah, somehow." Yugi struggled to stand, "Come on, we have to go after her."

"You got it, buddy." The two taller teens replied as they each started after Anzu.

There weren't any visible sign of Anzu anywhere, so they decided to split up. Yugi was the first to catch sight of the train of Anzu's school uniform skirt as she turned the corner at the far end of the corridor he had chosen to go.

"Anzu! Wait!" Yugi called out, just as Anzu mounted the stairs.

Yugi followed Anzu clear up onto the school's roof.

He slammed his shoulder into the door as he burst out onto the roof. "Anzu?"

Yugi found Anzu standing precariously on the edge of a long plank of wood that was sticking clear out off of the edge of the roof. All that was holding Anzu up was four thick lengths of rope, each tied to four miniaturized Egyptian statues. A fifth one was set above the four, holding the same item Shadi had had on him yesterday afternoon at the museum.

"ANZU!" Yugi screamed, his heart rocketing up into his throat.

"It'll do you no good to yell after her, she is well under my control."

Yugi whirled and found Shadi standing there as well, his robes blowing in the breeze.

"Shadi! What have you done to her? Let Anzu go before she gets hurt!" Yugi demanded, his fear giving him courage to be forceful.

"Not until I understand the true power of the Millennium Puzzle. I will do whatever it takes to make you show me your other self." Shadi replied in that infuriatingly calm tone of voice.

Yugi's teeth clenched together, and his hands curled into fists as his anger rose. How dare this man toy with someone else's life? Especially Anzu's of all people!

Yugi could feel something rising within him, hot and virile from deep inside, threatening to burst forth from his chest.

"That's it. I can feel it. Let your anger flow. Allow your other self to come forth." Shadi coaxed.

Yugi couldn't understand what the man meant, nor did he care. Suddenly, like before, Yugi's vision went black, but unlike the previous times this has happened, Yugi was fully aware of everything that was happening to him. He felt his limbs growing longer. His hair lost its spike and was left to fall around his shoulders and be caught up in the afternoon wind. He could feel his jaw move, could hear someone else's voice come from his throat.

"Shadi! You have gone too far. Surrender the girl, or you will suffer the consequences of your actions."

Shadi allowed himself to grin a little at the woman's appearance. In the natural sunlight of the day, the girl was truly magnificent to behold, like a ferocious jungle cat. She was beautiful, but could tear a person to shreds should she desire to do so.

"Welcome, other Yugi."

"You have no right to speak of my vessel's name, nor do you have the authority to try and dub me a worthy title. You and I are not allies, so we shall not waste time with such frivolous things as names. You lured me out to play another game with me, haven't you? Well, aren't you a sorry piece of shit? You never should have laid a finger on Yugi's friend. It is unforgiveable. So, when I defeat you in this game, I swear to you, I will not go light on your penalty game!" She growled, every word from her lips dripping venom.

"Very well, _if_ you can defeat me," Shadi agreed, "You may take my life."

"Oh, I don't need your authority. It was non-negotiable." She assured.

Shadi narrowed his eyes before he forced his features to become slack and expressionless.

"In this game, that girl is my puppet. I have infiltrated her soul room and have made her into a lifeless doll. Unable to think, speak, and she has no memories of her current life. She can't even move without my say-so. At the moment, she stands on the bridge of life. If you can defeat me in this game, you will save her from falling to her untimely death. However, if you should fail…" He let the sentence dangle, not needing to explain what would happen then.

"As you, no doubt, have already seen, the girl is being held up by four ropes attached to four Ushabti statues. Those statues represent the state of your mind. Should you at any time during this game, falter and become emotionally weak, the Ushabti statues will break, one by one, until the bridge and that girl fall. The fifth Ushabti statue holds my Millennium Key, which is the only thing that can rearrange that girl's soul room back to its original state, and she'll return to normal. Just like your four statues, my Ushabti statue reflects my emotional state. If you can make me become emotionally weak in any way during this game, it will break, and send the Key down the rope to where it will touch the girl's hand and restore her mind. The one who has the strongest mind will win this game." Shadi explained.

The woman did look a little disturbed by the terms of this game, but all in all she kept her head.

"Is that it then? Has the game started?" She asked.

"Yes."

Suddenly, the wind around them began to stir faster, tugging at their clothes and hair, and bringing with it a peculiar stench that resembled the scent of death.

The woman across from Shadi continued to keep eye contact with Shadi, giving none of her true feelings away, but Shadi was sure that would soon change.

The ground beneath their feet began to rumble, and the stone broke away behind the woman. She swung around and peered inside the blackness of the freshly made hole, plugging her nose, as the stench was strongest coming from that darkness.

Skeletal hands with stringy portions of dead skin hanging from their fingers punched through the roof all around the woman. Those hands dragged up fully mobile mummified corpses, all of them crawling toward her. Their hands wrapped around the woman's legs, crawling up her body. Their stink made her nostrils burn and her eyes water as she struggled to dislodge these…_things_…from her, but it was no good. The woman's heart was beginning to quicken, and she was feeling nervous and a tad bit scared of these things. She couldn't know what these things were meant to do to her! One of her Ushabti statues shattered immediately, and one of the ropes snapped away from the rest. The woman forced herself to get back under control as Shadi's voice pierced the distance between them.

"This first game is a test of your mind. Solve this riddle! "I crawl from the Earth and cling to the pillar. What am I?"."

_Crawl from the Earth…?_

As the woman struggled fruitlessly to free herself from the reanimated corpses, Shadi merely saw the woman dancing foolishly, letting out pitiful little noises as the illusion consumed her.

_This must be another one of Shadi's illusion…okay, just think. Shadi asked "what am I", if I get this answer right, the illusion will disappear. Dammit, concentrate! What crawls from the Earth, and clings to the pillar?_

The woman closed her eyes, trying to ignore the stench and moaning that the corpses were letting out in her ears as she continued to wrack her brain.

_The things that are crawling on the ground…are these corpses. And the pillar they cling to at the moment is me…Then what if I changed the order around, something that crawls from a pillar to the ground. Ah-ha! I know now._

"The answer is my shadow!" She proclaimed, and instantly, a second harsh wind whipped around her body, dissolving the corpse illusion from her sight.

"Well done, you have cleared the first test. But the real challenge begins now."

Once again, the newly repaired ground surrounding the woman began to shake, and the stone of the ceiling fell away to reveal a deep, black void underneath.

Two huge yellow eyes glowed bright from within the void, and they appeared to be getting closer.

Suddenly, two clawed hands punched out from the ground on either side of the woman, and they grabbed each of her arms. The massive head of Ammit, the crocodile demon, came out from the hole, her mouth open, saliva dripping from serrated teeth.

The woman's composure shook a little at the predicament she found herself in, and another one of the Ushabti statues began to get hairline cracks in it. She took a deep breath to calm herself before turning her attention back to Shadi, trying to ignore the horrid smell of Ammit as the demon breathed hot gusts of air down her neck.

"This next challenge of the game is called "Deadly Shinkei Suijaku". In order to escape Ammit, you must solve this puzzle in the next five minutes, or else she will swallow you, and your soul will be lost to the darkness. On the floor in front of you, you see nine tiles. On the underside of the tiles are likenesses of things that can be paired."

"There are nine tiles here, Shadi." The woman commented, as though he were dim-witted.

"Indeed. The middle tile is the only one that cannot be paired, and that is the one you are going to have to find in order to survive this trial. However, you are not allowed to turn over any of the tiles. I will give you a hint though. Those tiles are a mirror image of Ammit. You have five minutes, starting now." Shadi explained.

_The mirror reflection of the monster…that doesn't seem like too much to go by. Nine tiles, I can only guess the center one, and I'm not allowed to turn any of them over to get a clue as to what the center tile will be. If I guess wrong, not only my life, but so is my vessel's and his friend's lives, are at stake…_

The woman glanced over at hearing yet another small cracking sound.

_All right, calm down. A mirror image of the monster…Wait…a mirror…four of those tiles are pairs of the other…Ammit has two hands, eyes, ears, nostrils…but she only has one…_

"I know the answer, the center tile is the mouth!" The woman announced confidently.

As she watched the tiles flip around, she saw carvings of Ammit's clawed hands, her nostrils, eyes, and ears. The center tile took its old, sweet time flipping over, and lo and behold, it was indeed the mouth.

"Very well done. But that was only the beginning. There are still two more trials for you to win before you can leave here with little Yugi's friend intact."

"Yeah, yeah. Less talking, more playing. I haven't got too much time to drag this out." She snapped.

"You have passed the first two challenges, and you still have three Ushabti remaining, this next game will break every one of them."

_What will I have to do to make your mind quake? What makes you tick, Shadi?_

"Now, allow me to introduce you to your opponent in this last game."

A dense fog rolled in for just a moment before it cleared, revealing a new presence on the roof with them. Jounouchi was standing there, his eyes blank as Anzu's had been, a cocky, malicious grin on his face.

"Huh, well that's inconvenient." She murmured.

Suddenly, Joey swiped his hand toward the woman, but she backed up, not allowing him to touch her Puzzle.

"In this game, the Millennium Puzzle is a vital tool to saving that girl's life." Shadi informed.

"Yeah? Well tell your lackey to keep his grabby hands to himself. He could have just asked." She snapped, and carefully took her Puzzle off and offered it to Joey.

The roof tiles shrank down, leaving Joey and the woman standing on a very small island.

"Now for the rules of this match. Each of you will take turns rolling the Puzzle like a die. Whichever way the tip of the Puzzle is pointing, that person's opponent must take two steps in that direction. Whoever ends up falling off of that island will lose this game entirely." Shadi said.

"And is this really Joey, or is it something you conjured up, like those corpses and Ammit?" The woman demanded.

"This is the old Joey." Was all Shadi admitted.

"Huh? This might be interesting…"

"Begin!"

"So this is your treasure? Heh! How could you treasure something so pathetic?"

The woman could feel Yugi's emotions wavering, and because of his pain at hearing such a hurtful thing caused two of the Ushabti statues shattered immediately.

She reined in her vessel's emotions, and offered him a bit of her own strength.

"_Don't lose face, Yugi. Stay strong. This is only an illusion." _She kept reminding him, and he began to align himself back in with her control.

"Let's get started." Joey said as he tossed the Puzzle down to the ground. It pointed to the left, "Get moving."

The woman walked two tile-lengths to the left and looked at Joey over her shoulder.

_Hmm…Shadi believes that I will sacrifice this illusion of Yugi's friend in order to win this Shadow Game? Well…I may have thought about it, but if I hurt this Illusion, it may also affect the real Joey, and then my vessel would be distraught. Can't have that, now can I?_

"I won't roll." She said, her eyes closed, "I don't want to play this game with you, Joey."

"Heh! Fine, if you pass this turn, it's my roll." Joey dropped the Puzzle again, and it once again faced west. "Step twice more in that direction."

The woman obeyed, and she found herself standing on the very edge of the cavern.

"You have nowhere else to go. Will you pass this turn, too?" Joey inquired.

"Yes, I pass."

"Have you given up in this game? Do you admit defeat?" Shadi wondered.

"No, of course I don't." The woman replied with a mocking chuckle. "Yugi believes in his friend, and so shall I."

"Believe? Your "vessel" is unable to break away from his past. This challenge has trapped you because your belief makes your heart weak." Shadi explained. "True strength comes from relying upon one's self. You! Finish her."

But Joey's illusion didn't move, he stood frozen, with a soft smile stuck on his face.

"What's wrong with you? Throw the Puzzle!" Shadi ordered.

Instead of obeying, Joey slowly began dissolving away. The woman snatched the Puzzle out of the air before it fell to the ground and placed it back around her neck.

"It would seem Yugi's belief in his friends has pulled through. You see, Shadi, friends don't exist in either the past or the present. They are interconnected with each other. Yugi's faith called out to the real Joey, and in so doing, your illusion had no chance in defying the true Joey's wishes." The woman explained.

At that moment, the single rope keeping Anzu supported began to slowly tear in the middle. On its own, it wasn't enough to support the full weight of Anzu, and it was breaking under the tension.

"Shit!" The woman hissed.

Just then, Joey – the real Joey – appeared on the outcropped windowsill just beneath the plank Anzu was standing on, and he held onto the board, supporting it on his shoulder.

"I've got you, Anzu. Everything's going to be all right!" He shouted, however in her current state, Anzu couldn't understand what he was saying.

Shadi, on the other hand, did hear, and it shook his confidence in his logic.

"You see, Shadi. Yugi's bond with his friends makes him much stronger than your belief in yourself, you pompous, self-righteous prick!" She hissed.

As Shadi's impersonal façade crumbled under the instability of his emotions, his Ushabti statue also began to crack.

"No…" He whispered, noticing what this newest revelation was causing.

"Believing in yourself isn't the truth path to strength. What can a single person hope to achieve solely on his or her own? But together, with others helping to support each other…now that's true strength."

At those last words, Shadi's Ushabti shattered, and the Millennium Key was propelled down the rope and touched Anzu's hand.

She blinked in confusion before looking around to get herself reoriented, and found herself suspended high above the ground. She screamed in terror, but Joey's voice brought her back from the edge of hysteria, "It's all right Anzu, just try and climb back to the roof. Slowly, that's a girl."

But just before Anzu could reach the gate that surrounded the entire roof of the school, Tristan, his eyes glassy and unseeing, grabbed hold of Joey's ankles. As Joey tried to make Tristan let go, his hold on the bridge Anzu was still on loosened, and she began to fall.

There was the sound of someone scrambling over the fence, and a hand shot out to grab Anzu's before she could fall.

Yugi pulled with all of his might until Anzu's body smashed into his own. He wrapped his free arm around Anzu's waist while his other hand kept hold of the fence.

"Yugi! I'm sure glad to see you." Anzu commented, relieved beyond words that she was safe.

"Joey, make Tristan touch this." Yugi said as his foot nudged the Millennium Key.

"Huh?" Joey looked up and saw the Key, and he grabbed it and lowered his hand until the key touched Tristan's cheek. "Wake the hell up, Tristan!"

Immediately, Tristan's eyes cleared, and a bewildered expression appeared on his face.

"What the…what happened? Where am I?" He demanded.

"I'll explain later. For now, just don't look down, and climb up to the roof." Joey answered.

"Huh?"

"Just do it!"

"Alright, alright, I'm going!"

* * *

Safely on the roof, on the other side of the fence and far away from any of the edges, Anzu, Yugi, Joey, and Tristan sat or lay in a semi-circle close together, all breathing heavily as the adrenaline of what had just happened finally faded, and their strength felt completely drained.

"So, what exactly…happened today?" Tristan asked.

"Well, I don't know how it happened, just that when Anzu had attacked Yugi in the infirmary, we split up to look for her. Then, you suddenly cornered me, looking all zombie-like and more brainless than you are normally, and started to chase me. I tried to talk some sense into you, and at one time, I punched you in the mouth to hopefully knock some sense into you, but then you cornered me in a classroom, and then I climbed out the window to get away from you. Thank God that I did, too, because Anzu might not have made it had I not seen her standing up on the roof like that." Joey replied.

"I did what to Yugi?" Anzu demanded, aghast, thinking she had misheard.

"Yeah, you were choking him." Tristan answered.

The girl's huge azure eyes went wide and began to water as she met Yugi's amethyst ones, "I'm so sorry, Yugi! I don't know what must've come over me."

She wrapped her arms around Yugi's neck and rested her forehead in the crook of his shoulder. Yugi's arms circled around her, and he laced his fingers through her hair, trying to sooth her, "It's all right, Anzu. You weren't yourself today, and I wasn't badly hurt, so there's no need to worry." He murmured quietly.

"I know, but still, I'm so sorry."

Joey and Tristan hated to see their friend like this, but Yugi's heart felt like it was breaking for her. He didn't know how to comfort her, or to make her feel any better.

Suddenly, the right words seemed to come out of nowhere, and Yugi just allowed them to flow out. He leaned back enough to look into Anzu's eyes, and he whispered, "You'll always have a special place in my heart, and no matter what you do, or where you go, nothing and no one can stop me from thinking of you as someone incredibly special to me. Today…that's history, and it'll never happen again. So dry your eyes, you're far too beautiful to be made to cry like this over something that is long since over." He gave her a wide smile, and Anzu returned it with a one of her own, albeit a little smaller, and she brushed away her tears.

"Thanks, Yugi."

"No problem." He chirped.


	7. Chapter 6

**A/N: There is usable of the "f" word towards the end of this chapter, and the detail of the duel may be a little graphic, but I doubt that is grounds enough to make me have to raise the rating. Just letting you know that it's there. **

**A/N 2: I apologize for the wait on this, but the duel scene was a bitch to write, and of course, life has a way of making it difficult to update. I can't promise more frequent updates, but I can promise that I'll try harder to submit updates whenever I can. Life is hectic right now, so we'll see. Anyway, here's a nice long chapter to sink your teeth into. (Long in my standards anyway) So, enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter Six**

"Stay away!"

A young teenaged boy backed away from the pair of large, muscular men closing in on him. He held his cupped hands close to his chest, and he gasped in horror as he felt the school gate surrounding the roof of the school press against his back. With nowhere else to run, he decided on a different strategy.

"Please, leave me alone. This was a memento from my father!" The boy begged.

"Oh, a memento…in that case we'll just leave you alone then." One of the burly men mocked.

The other joined in on the other's amusement as he reached his hand out to grab the boy's forearm to tug it away from his body.

"No!" He cried.

Ominous footsteps echoed from behind the two men, and a solemn, angry voice spoke out, "Have you got it yet?"

The men looked fearful as they redoubled their efforts to get the card away from the boy. A fist connected with the side of the boy's face, and the card he was holding flew out from his grip and floated perfectly into the newcomer's hand.

The Dark Magician printed on the card glared angrily at the thief as he chuckled, "We're done here." He stated as he slid the card into his pocket and walked away.

The two men glanced back at the crumpled form of the boy still lying on the ground before they followed after their employer.

The newcomer tossed a paper bag over his shoulder, and the two caught it out of the air.

"As promised, there's $100,000 for each of you. I won't be needing your services any longer."

The two men were left standing in their employer's wake, unsuspecting that the danger to them had yet to pass.

As they stepped out into the school courtyard, they hadn't even heard the pistol cocking before the first shot was fired, the bullet piercing through one of the men's forehead. The other stared in horror at the corpse of his friend lying at his feet, and as shocked as he was, he hadn't had time to defend himself as the second bullet punched through his heart.

* * *

_The woman stood opposite of Shadi, looking still very furious over the bastard's underhanded tactics in trying to lure her out of the Puzzle. _

"_I promised you that this time you wouldn't be let off so easily." She hissed as her right hand tingled with power. _

"_I remember. You are fully in your rights to carry out my punishment." Shadi agreed. _

"_I didn't need your permission." The woman snapped as her hand came up, "You no longer belong in this world. Be gone with you. Oblivion!"_

_Shadi's form shattered like glass, and his body faded away like ash caught up in a harsh breeze. _

_Shadi was no longer alive in the first place. His spirit had been wandering for far too long, left unchecked, and his spirit had become tainted with a sort of evil sense of justice. He had desperately needed release. _

_In a way, the woman whose spirit who lies within the Millennium Puzzle had done Shadi a favor by passing him on into the afterlife. And at least now, Shadi would never bring harm to Yugi or his friends again. _

* * *

"Grandpa? What can you tell me about the Millennium Puzzle? I mean, besides the whole excavation team dying mysteriously tale you've already told?" Yugi asked the man sitting across from him at the breakfast table.

"Oh! Well, there isn't a lot to tell. The Millennium Puzzle was found deep within an ancient Egyptian pharaoh's tomb. The hieroglyphs on the box it had been found in proclaim that whosoever solves the Millennium Puzzle will also inherit the power of the Shadow Games. The background of the Puzzle is rather hazy because not much is said about the pharaoh who had owned it originally. Even the pharaoh's name had been erased from every historical archive that can be dated back to the time the Millennium Puzzle existed.

"There was one telling that in ancient Egypt, kings and magicians played against each other in what were called the Shadow Games. These games were such that it required strength in both mind and spirit. But then, the magic of the Shadow Games threatened the very survival of the entire world. That is when the pharaoh who possessed this Millennium Puzzle sealed the magic of the Shadow Games away. But even that tale is a bit farfetched." Sugoroku replied.

"Hmm…were there any female pharaohs?"

"Oh yes. Not many, mind you. Only a choice handful was female – I believe the actual number was about twelve – and only under certain circumstances. Normally they were crowned pharaoh only as long as it took them to marry or bear a son who could uphold the title in the woman's stead."

"Oh…well…"

"Yugi, you had best finish your breakfast before you're late for school." Grandpa chastised gently, and Yugi's eyes snapped up to show he only had twenty minutes before school started.

"Oh no!" He gasped as he grabbed two pieces of toast, put some scrambled eggs and bacon between the slices to make it into a makeshift breakfast sandwich before he rushed up the stairs to grab his backpack. "Bye, grandpa! See you after school!" He shouted over his shoulder as he burst out the door, hopping on one foot to the other to pull on his shoes.

Yugi made it just in time before the final warning bell sounded. He collapsed into his chair and placed his head on the desk in relief and exhaustion from so much running. What was worse, his breakfast was churning uncomfortably in his stomach. Never again would he make such a horrendous meal. The eggs were cold and the bacon had been so crispy that it hurt his teeth when he bit into it. Add that to the butter and boysenberry jam he had slathered over his pieces of toast before building the sandwich didn't help the taste in the slightest.

"You all right there, Yug?"

Yugi turned his head to find Joey hovering near his desk with a concerned look on his face, "You look like you're about to hurl." He added unhelpfully.

"Yeah, I'm okay. I just ran all the way to school, and I had the worst choice of breakfast this morning. Once my stomach gets settled, I should be just fine." He assured the blond.

"Alright, if you're sure. You don't want to go lay down in the infirmary or something until you feel better?"

"No, I'm good."

The door to the classroom opened to admit their homeroom teacher.

"Alright, everyone, settle down and be silent." Mr. Yakamora ordered as he made his way to stand behind his desk. "We have a new student transferring into our class. Be polite to the kid."

He called out to someone in the hall, and the door opened to reveal a tall brunet boy with vivid blue eyes, dressed in the typical blue boys' school uniform, and his jacket was completely buttoned up the front, unlike the majority of the male students who left the jacket open and wore a button down or a tee underneath.

"This is Seto Kaiba." Mr. Yakamora announced.

He made his way to the center of the room beside Mr. Yakamora's desk and bowed formally at the waist, "Nice to meet you." He greeted politely.

"Kaiba? As in Kaiba Corporation?" One girl muttered.

"I guess so." A male voice replied quietly.

"There's an empty seat beside Yugi. You can sit there."

As the brunet moved toward Yugi, he spotted a Duel Monsters card on the ground near Yugi's feet. He quickly picked it up and offered it back to the boy, "This is yours, right?"

"Yes, thank you."

"So you play Duel Monsters?"

"A little bit, yes." Yugi replied with a smile. "Do you like games?"

"Oh yes, I love them." Kaiba said and a smile.

Yugi felt a sudden unease coming from the pit of his stomach as Kaiba took his seat. Yugi covered the front of the Millennium Puzzle and studied the boy.

He didn't notice anything off about the guy. He seemed nice enough. But the spirit in his Millennium Puzzle did not like the guy one bit.

_He seems normal enough. _Yugi wondered to himself, not really expecting a reply, and was surprised when he got one anyway.

_There are many facets to a human's personality that can be covered over by a mask. That man is not to be trusted. Watch yourself with him._

_Well, if you say so…_

* * *

"What's that?" Tristan asked as he glanced over Yugi's shoulder to see what he had in his hands.

"They're called Duel Monsters cards. Come take a look." The smaller teen invited.

Tristan, Joey, and Anzu scooted their chairs up next to Yugi's desk and leaned closer to see better. Joey picked up one of the cards and admired the picture of the elfin swordsman painted on the card.

"So are they part of a game or something?" The blond wondered.

"They're mostly meant for trading and collecting, but yes, they are a game. You see," Yugi began as he picked up a Gazelle monster card. "Down here at the bottom, the two numbers. These are the value of the monster's power. The first number is the offensive, or attack points, and the second number is the defense points. They also have a class, attribute, and level as well, and some even have effects that help the player win when played correctly. The card you're holding is called the Obnoxious Celtic Guardian. He's a level four, earth attribute, warrior-type monster with 1400 attack points and 1200 defense points. That one has a special ability which states that he cannot be destroyed by a monster more than 1900 attack points, which can come in handy during a duel."

"Awesome…" Joey murmured, "Can you we have a practice duel to see how it works for real?"

"Sure," Yugi replied as he reached into his backpack and pulled out a second fully built deck. "Here, you can use these. Each duelist starts out with two thousand life points, and whosever life points reaches zero first loses the duel." Yugi sifted through his own deck and picked out two cards, one with green bordering and the other red. "Now, these types of cards are essential to any duelist's deck. The green ones are called magic cards, and you can use them to power up your monsters' points, your life points, and they can held defend against trap cards. Trap cards are the pink ones, and as the term implies, they help trap and defend your monsters and life points when used properly, and can even harm your opponent's monsters and life points in return. For example, this card is Magical Hats, and when it is played alongside a spellcaster-type monster, it creates four hat tokens that you can play on each of your spell/trap zones, and they can help shield your monster for up to four turns. You could also play a trap card underneath one of the hat tokens, such as this spellbinding circle card, and it can weaken the opponent's monster by seven hundred points, which could decide the outcome of a monster battle."

"Ooh…" Joey said in awe as he watched Yugi's demonstration with avid interest.

"Let's try it, Joey." Yugi offered.

"Yeah!" The blond exclaimed excitedly as he shuffled the cards in his borrowed deck a few times and then he set them aside.

"The field is easy to figure out. You have your deck zone, your graveyard, your field spell zone – don't worry about that this time, you won't be using it – six spell/trap card spaces, six monster spaces, and your extra deck zone, but that isn't needed this time around either. I'll go first to show you how things work." Yugi drew five cards, which Joey mimicked, and scanned his cards, "I draw first." After pulling one more card, he said, "I play one monster in defense mode, and two additional cards facedown." He proclaimed, placing a card facedown and horizontal on one of the monster spaces and two vertical cards below the monster. "And I'll end my turn."

"Yugi, you mentioned that you like Duel Monsters. I was wondering if you would like to come to my house and see my card collection?" Kaiba offered as he caught up to Yugi as school was dismissed for the day.

"Really? That would be amazing!" Yugi agreed exuberantly. He always appreciated a person who loved games as much as he did.

"Great. I'll give you my address and you can come over at anytime this afternoon. Do you have paper and a pen that I could use?"

"Sure thing." Yugi chirped as he dug in his backpack for the items. He handed them both to Kaiba, who scribbled on the front page in his notebook before returning the notebook and pen, "Thank you."

"Well, I'll see you later then."

As Kaiba left, Yugi was reading the address when he felt someone come up on either side of him, "What was that all about?" Joey wondered.

"Kaiba offered to show me his Duel Monsters collection."

"Huh? He said you could go to his house?" Tristan asked.

"Uh-huh, he even gave me his address too. He said I could come by at anytime today."

"Do you think he would mind if we came with?" Anzu wondered.

"Yeah, I want to see those cards too. As rich as he is, he must have some really good ones."

"I'm sure he'll be fine with me bringing you along. He seems like a really nice guy."

"Awesome!" Tristan cried, "And maybe he'll feed us too. I want to see how rich people eat!"

Yugi rolled his eyes at his friend as he laughed, "Then let's get going."

* * *

"It should be considered a crime to own a house this freaking huge…" Tristan muttered as the four friends looked through the front gate of Kaiba's mansion to gaze in a mixture of awe and envy at the luxurious settings around the place.

"That's rude, Tristan." Anzu chastised.

"Yeah, but it's probably true." Joey agreed as Kaiba's voice suddenly spoke up through the intercom propped into the brick wall of the gate.

"Hello everyone, I'm glad you could come. Please come in."

The gates flung open, and it took them a few minutes just to walk up the driveway of the gigantic estate.

As they reached the front doors of the mansion, they opened of their own accord to reveal Kaiba standing in the entrance hall, still dressed in his school uniform, his arms clasped behind his back as he smiled at them, "Ah, you brought your friends too? I'm very pleased. Come this way and I'll show you my collection."

They followed behind their gracious host as Kaiba led them through the winding corridors that only made up the first floor. Yugi could still feel that the spirit of his Puzzle was upset at being so close to the stranger, but Yugi brushed it off as her just being paranoid. Kaiba was a very friendly person.

Kaiba finally came to a set of double doors, and he pushed them open to show a large room full of multiple gold trophies, plagues, and display cases of medals. On the far wall in opposite the door were hundreds of laminated, mounted Duel Monsters cards.

"Wow…" Yugi breathed in awe as his eyes hungrily examined each of the cards. There were so many rare and ultra-rare cards, some that Yugi hadn't even seen before.

"These are spectacular, Kaiba!" Yugi exclaimed excitedly.

"What're all the trophies from?" Tristan asked.

"They're from the Duel Monsters tournaments I've won."

They all froze as they took in the sheer number of the awards in the room, "You must be really good." Yugi commented.

"I get by." Kaiba replied modestly. "Hey, Yugi, you're a lover of Duel Monsters. Do you have any rare cards of your own?"

"Um, no. Not that I own…but my grandpa has one you may find interesting." Yugi supplied, and he felt a wave of heat erupt in his stomach that proclaimed that the spirit did not like the direction this conversation was taking.

Yugi cupped the Puzzle in his hand and thought once again that she was being far too paranoid. He wondered if he should just take the Puzzle off to get the spirit to settle down, but then he reconsidered, not wanting to part with his precious treasure even if it afforded him some comfort from the spirit's unease.

"Oh really? I would love to see it." Kaiba replied.

"I want to see it too!" Joey proclaimed.

"Um…okay." Yugi answered, scratching the back of his head nervously.

* * *

"Please, Grandpa, show my friends your super, awesome rare card?" Yugi pleaded.

Kaiba, who stood just behind Yugi, bowed politely, "Please?"

Sugoroku laughed, "I guess I have no choice. Just a second." He dropped his hand behind the display case and grabbed an ornate, cherry wood box. Placing it on the counter, he opened the box and pulled out the card. It was a beautiful dragon, with scales so white that they appeared to have a very faint blue tint, and eyes so blue that they mimicked the surface of the deepest ocean.

Kaiba's eyes widened as he took in the card, his mouth falling open in shock.

"Sir, that card…" Kaiba placed a thick, metal briefcase down on the counter and opened the lid to show several rows of extremely rare, expensive Duel Monster cards inside, "Please, trade it to me for these?"

Joey, Yugi, and Tristan all were taken aback at the offer.

"No." Sugoroku replied, and yet again, Yugi, Joey and Tristan freaked over the refusal too.

"Why?" Kaiba wondered, his face molding lightly into one of angry determination.

"Your name was Kaiba, right? You see, I'm not keeping this card simply because of its rarity or its worth, but for the fact that it was given to me by a dear friend. In other words, this card is as important to me as my friend is."

"Ah, I understand." Kaiba replied, finally looking his normal self. He closed his briefcase and turned to walk toward the door, "Thank you for showing me your card. I suppose I'll go home. See you at school tomorrow, Yugi."

After Kaiba left, Joey got all excited again, "Wow, I can't believe that you refused that offer."

"You're amazing, Grandpa." Yugi agreed.

* * *

Tristan drew for his turn and scanned the card, " I play zombie, and place him on the graveyard field." He declared, and placed his card on the board in attack mode.

Joey drew and slapped down his Kimori Dragon, laughing, "Yes, my dragon destroys your zombie, Tristan! It's 1200 attack points is more than enough to take on your 800."

"Damn…"

"Ha ha, I win!"

"Actually, you don't. Tristan does." Yugi interjected.

"Huh? How?" Joey demanded.

"He played the zombie card on the graveyard field. That makes the zombie's attack double than what it originally is, so he destroys your Kimori Dragon, and your life points drop to zero." Yugi explained.

"Shit! I lost again!" Joey cried in despair as Tristan gloated over his victory.

"It'll be all right. Practice does help." Yugi encouraged.

"Why are you even dueling each other like this?" Anzu wondered as she came up beside her friends.

"They want to try and challenge Kaiba to a duel." Yugi replied.

"What? Don't they remember his trophy room…and the fact he's a world champion?" Anzu asked, as though the taller boys had short-term memory loss and had forgotten what they had seen at Kaiba's mansion the day before.

"Yep…but they're determined to try and defeat him…I think they got jealous." Yugi confided.

"Morning Yugi." The boy turned to see Kaiba walking toward him.

"Oh, hey Kaiba." He replied with a smile.

"You remember the phone call last night?" He asked anxiously.

"Uh, yes. I got Grandpa to agree to let me borrow it just for today, but I promised I couldn't play with it."

"Could I see it again? I couldn't think of anything else last night. I understand what your grandpa said…I have learned to love the cards." Kaiba pleaded.

"I suppose it'll be all right," Yugi answered as he dug through his backpack to pull the card out. "Here, just be careful." He offered the Blue Eyes White Dragon to the brunet.

His eyes were shining with pure joy as he stared at the beautiful painting of the dragon. Yugi was so intent on watching Kaiba's face that he hadn't seen what Kaiba's other hand was doing.

But the spirit had, and she became upset again.

As Kaiba gave the Blue Eyes back, he thanked Yugi graciously and went to his desk as Mr. Yakamora came in the door.

_It's a fake…_

Yugi was shocked at hearing the spirit's voice, and although he still thought that she was being paranoid, he had to be sure.

He studied the Blue Eyes in his hand. It was perfectly similar to the original, but there was a certain roughened texture to the front of the card that made Yugi realize that the spirit had been right all along. Kaiba had played him for a fool, and now the brunet had his grandfather's treasure.

* * *

Kaiba was laughing in triumph as he made his way to his limo parked in front of the school, his hand pressed over the Blue Eyes in his pocket.

"Kaiba!"

Kaiba spun around to find Yugi sheepishly standing behind him, his hands clutching the straps of his backpack as he looked up at the brunet, "Yugi…are you going home?"

"Kaiba, please give me the card back." He demanded in a quiet tone.

"What? I don't know what you're talking about." Kaiba replied indignantly.

"I know you switched it with a fake card. I need you to give me back the card." Yugi insisted, his voice becoming stronger as he spoke.

"Are you calling me a thief? I gave you back the card!"

"Even I can tell the difference."

"I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Yes you do! Listen! That card is very important to my grandpa! If I don't bring it home with me, which means I broke my promise to him, and that would break his heart! My grandpa means a lot to me, and I don't want to let him down. So please, give me back the card!"

"I'm your friend, Yugi. Why don't you believe me?" Kaiba continued to play innocent as he turned to leave.

"Kaiba!"

Kaiba whirled around, his briefcase in hand, intending on hitting Yugi with it, but he missed.

Yugi wasn't there, and in his place was one furious young lady, whose eyes were aflame with rage as she blocked his hit with her foot. She kicked the briefcase away from her and bolted forward, grabbing Kaiba's wrist and twisting, causing his grip to loosen on the briefcase, and he dropped it to the ground as he grimaced in pain.

"Coward!" She hissed into his ear, "Once you're found out for the lying piece of shit that you are, you resort to violence in the hopes of shutting Yugi up." The woman shoved Kaiba away from her, and he stumbled forward a few feet before he turned fully to take in the woman before him.

She was a little taller than Yugi, with blazing scarlet eyes alight with rage, her elfin features pulled into an expression of pure malevolence. Her hair was long, the same tri-color shade as Yugi had, only her hair fell past her shoulders, layered heavily, and wavy like water flowing down her back. She was wearing the exact same clothes Yugi had been wearing just a moment ago, all the way down to the gaudy, gold upside-down pyramid hanging from around her neck.

"Where the hell did you come from?" He demanded.

"That's none of your damn business." She snapped, her arms folding across her chest as her eyes snapped fire at him, "You're going to give me back Yugi's grandfather's card, and you will do so without any fuss." She instructed arrogantly.

"Oh am I? And what are you going to do about it?"

"You're a lover of games, if I remember correctly. So we'll play a game of Duel Monsters, and the winner gets to keep the Blue Eyes. If you win the duel, you may walk away without any more fuss from me, but if you lose, you'll have to play a penalty game with me."

"A duel?" Kaiba clarified, laughing, "You do realize you're talking to the world Duel Monsters champion, right?"

"I am aware. Which is why you shouldn't have anything to worry about with accepting this duel. After all, it's a simple way to obtain that Blue Eyes." She goaded.

"Very well, I accept your challenge."

"Of course you do, now come with me." The woman commanded as she turned on her heel and headed back toward the school.

Kaiba followed her until they reached their empty homeroom classroom. She pushed two desks together and set up the duel field across them, sitting in one of the chairs. Kaiba settled into the other, and both took their decks out and began shuffling them.

"I should tell you, this won't be like any duel you've ever played before." The woman warned as she cut her cards and placed them down on the deck zone.

"I'll still win the duel." Kaiba assured as they both drew their first five cards.

* * *

_The air was pungent with the stench of decay. Vast landscapes of trees, tinged brown with death, spread across the land as far as the eye could see. The world had the cold, prickling aura of a graveyard in the dead of night, even as the sky was lit with the light of the setting sun as the world was plunged into a flood of maroon. _

_The earth beneath his feet began to rumble, and the ground began to break away as something groaned gravelly. A purple arm, with two-inch long claws adorning a mutated hand, shot up from the newly formed hole, and a violet giant with one horn in the middle of its forehead pulled itself from the depths of the underworld. A pair of membranous wings protruded from the giant ogre's back, and its beady black eyes stared, cold and vacant as death. It roared low, the sound seeming to cause the earth to shake once more as it pounded its fists against its chest in what was meant to be an intimidating gesture. _

_A separate, second roar followed the ogre's, one that broke the thick veil of the grave. A mighty dragon, small yet mighty, soared down from the heavens, its amber eyes locked onto the ogre's as the dragon came nearer. Its powerful wings beat the air, picking up speed as its razor teeth opened, and a ball of fire formed in its jaws. The fireball launched out from the dragon's mouth, and it hit the ogre in it chest. The ogre fell backward, a pained croak ripping itself from the ogre's throat as the fire engulfed its body. _

_Soon, nothing but ash remained of the ogre, and even that was picked up by a gentle northern breeze and cast off into the distance, as though the ogre had never existed. _

* * *

"What the hell was that?" Kaiba cried as his ogre, who had shockingly appeared from beneath the ground on the game mat that he and this strange girl were dueling on, had been blown to smithereens by the girl's dark dragon.

"I said that this would be no ordinary game, Seto Kaiba." The girl boasted as she set two facedown cards on the field to end her turn.

Kaiba suddenly began trembling as his long bangs obscured his eyes.

The girl cocked her head curiously, wondering what it was that Kaiba was doing.

Suddenly, the brunet burst into laughter, his eyes shining as he stared at the Dark Dragon, who had landed atop a towering tree, awaiting Kaiba's next move.

"This is incredible…" He murmured in awe. "This is the ultimate game that I have been searching for! However, this little parlor trick of yours won't win you this duel. My turn, draw!"

* * *

_The dragon craned its long neck down just as it spotted something large and bulky moving around beneath its tree. _

_A huge Minotaur, a creature that was half man, half bull, was staring up at the dark dragon with ferocious crimson eyes. Donned in crimson and gold armor, the Minotaur snorted, its nostrils exhaling visible carbon dioxide as its grip tighten on the double-headed handheld hatchet until its knuckles began to turn white. _

_It bellowed up at the dark dragon just as the dragon took flight. With a mighty swing of its arm, the Minotaur hurled the hatchet into the air, the blade flying true as one of the heads cut deep into the dragon's neck. The momentum of the strike kept the hatchet moving until it cut entirely through the dark dragon's neck, and the severed head and decapitated body fell heavily to the ground. The Minotaur caught the hatchet expertly, and began to chop the deceased dragon in its rage, to avenge its fallen comrade. _

* * *

Kaiba laughed triumphantly as he watched his Minotaur hacking this infuriating girl's dragon into smaller pieces.

"You won't find a monster that trumps my Minotaur too quickly, if ever." He proclaimed. "I'll place one card and I'll end my turn."

"I loath arrogant men like you." The girl hissed as she drew for her turn. First, I activate one of my facedown cards, one known as Dian Keto, the Magic Healer. With his magic, I am granted an additional one thousand life points, getting back the ones your precious Minotaur took from my dragon, and with interest."

Kaiba growled, his brilliant move now meant nothing as this girl's points were untouched while he was down 500.

* * *

_Minotaur stopped its brutal butchering of the dark dragon's corpse when he noticed something shift beneath the soft sand of the ground. Minotaur shifted and raised its hatchet to eliminate the unknown pest, but just as it raised its arm, a yellow-green, ugly, putrid insect lunged out from the sand and clamped its massive fangs deep into the Minotaur's throat. The insect wrapped its spindly arms around Minotaur's shoulders and tore its mouth away, taking a chunk of flesh with it. _

_The Minotaur clasped a hand helplessly over the wound, trying to stem the bleeding to no avail. It dropped to its knees before falling completely, facedown on the ground. The insect wasted no time in finishing its meal before it disappeared back beneath the sand, leaving behind only the Minotaur's armor, and its hatchet. _

* * *

"Damn you, bitch." Kaiba hissed.

"Hey, don't get angry at me, Mister World Champion duelist!" The girl snapped. "If you can't counteract a juvenile move like that, then I'm shocked at how anyone could have lost to you."

"I'll make you regret those words." Kaiba vowed as he drew his next card.

* * *

_The shifting sand of the earth paused as the insect beneath sensed footsteps approaching. They were from a large creature, very heavy judging from the weight of the vibrations after each step. _

_The insect was sure it had a large meal coming its way, and it prepared for an attack, when the footsteps stopped right above where the insect was hiding and a massive hand punched through the sand and gripped the insect by its throat. A second hand held one of the insect's arms, and without much effort, the disembodied hands tore the insect's head from its body. _

_A large demonic creature, with vacant, white eyes, purple skin, large, membranous wings, and clothed only in a loincloth, its mouth stretched into a sinister smirk as it tossed the pieces of the bothersome insect to the earth, and ground its remains beneath one bare foot. _

* * *

"Try and defeat my swordstalker, if you can. With two of my own monsters destroyed, it gains an additional two hundred attack points, giving it a total of twenty-four hundred." Kaiba declared.

"Oh, whatever could a girl like me possibly do to a big bad beast like that?" The girl mocked as she drew her next card.

* * *

_The world became black as midnight as large, angry storm clouds overtook the sun streaked sky. Lightning arced through the clouds before it shot out towards the ground, hitting the demon directly. It screamed in an eerie, high-pitched noise as its body began to sizzle with the unbridled might of the lightning bolt. A second bolt hit the demon, followed by a third in quick succession, effectively bringing the demon to its knees. _

_Through momentary brightness of the lightning, a skeletal silhouette was shown. It was a creature even more monstrous than the one that now lay in a smoldering pile on the ground, towering over the earth like a specter from Hell. _

* * *

_I'm through playing around with this bitch! _Kaiba cried mentally as he inconspicuously reached into his blazer pocket and retrieved the stolen blue eyes white dragon. How he wished for nothing more than to wipe that smug expression off of her face! And this dragon was just what he needed."My move. And it'll be your last."

He saw those crimson eyes narrow as he drew from his deck, and his smirk widened as he threw down his final card.

* * *

_The hellish creature shielded its eyes as a blinding light that had nothing to do with daylight immediately chased off the darkened sky. _

_A massive, serpentine creature roared, the sound echoing ominously as a huge dragon landed upon the ground across from the demon. Its long, supple body was sleek and built for destruction. So white it appeared almost blue, and eyes that rivaled the azure sky, the dragon was as beautiful as it was powerful. _

* * *

Kaiba laughed uproariously as his eyes were fixed on the glorious figure of the Blue Eyes White Dragon before him. It was breathtaking, and it was just what he needed to teach this overconfident little bitch her place.

"This is the end for you." He declared.

But…the girl didn't even look remotely concerned, or even surprised that he had played the Blue Eyes White Dragon. In fact, she looked almost bored as she sighed and announced, "You're wrong."

Kaiba clenched his teeth as he glared venomously at this impetuous girl, "We'll just see about that! Attack, Blue Eyes!" He roared.

But the dragon didn't move, at least, not to obey him, anyway. The dragon craned its neck around until it looked straight into Kaiba's eyes before it cried out in pain and, smoke rising off of its body, it began to dissolve until nothing was left.

"What the hell? What have you done?!" Kaiba demanded.

"I haven't done anything to you, Kaiba. That dragon's loyalty was never with you, and so you could never control him." The girl declared.

Kaiba looked on in horror at his empty playing field.

"Wha…I don't…"

"Kaiba, you're greed and selfishness is what caused that dragon to turn against you. You stole that card from Yugi, a card whose heart lies with Yugi's grandfather. You stealing it would cause that dragon to hate you, not to help you in your plot for more power." The girl lectured, her voice losing its angry edge and he could see something akin to pity in her eyes.

"Shut up! Even without that dragon, I can still defeat you!" Kaiba screamed.

"No, you're finished." The girl reached down and took hold of the second facedown card she had played at the beginning of the duel. She flipped it face up and announced, "I play the magic card, Monster Reborn."

Kaiba looked on in horror as the same beautiful dragon he had placed all of his hopes in and had disappointed him, began to materialize on the bitch's side of the field.

"No! I refuse to lose to the likes of you!" Kaiba cried as he drew his last card.

He placed a monster card, gremlin, onto the playing board between two separate fields. There was a gigantic earthquake, and the game board, as well as the desk that they had been dueling on, split into two.

Kaiba chuckled menacingly, "If the field is split, the match ends in a draw." His voice crooned through the accumulating dust

As the rubble and the dust finally settled, Kaiba was gone.

"Shit…" The woman hissed as she took in the wreckage of the classroom. Her eyes scanned the debris until, out from the corner of her eye, she spotted the Blue Eyes White Dragon on the ground.

"I suppose the blow to his ego should be a fair penalty game for the bastard." She murmured as she stood and left the room, not even bothering to deal with the mess Kaiba had left in his wake.

* * *

Kaiba stood among the ruins of his once grand trophy room, breathing heavily as he hurled a tall, world champion trophy into a row of glass display cases filled with gold medals.

"Damn you, you fucking bitch! How the hell could I have let the duel end in a draw? I know she's out there gloating over my humiliation!" He screamed. "I swear the next time we meet, I'll rip her limb from limb! You'll see. I swear, I'm going to kill you…"


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

"Whoa, this is so awesome!" Yugi exclaimed as he leafed through a graphic novel that his newest friend, Hanasaki, let him borrow.

Joey, Tristan, and Anzu all gathered around Hanasaki's desk, curiously wondering about what the two boys were talking about.

"I know. His name is Zombire, and he's the greatest superhero that was ever created." The boy gushed.

"I never knew you collected American comics." Yugi commented.

"I've always liked them, but Zombire is my favorite." Hanasaki replied.

Anzu lifted one of the other, unopened Zombire comics that were laid out on Hanasaki's desk and cocked her head curiously, "How come all American superheroes always seem so muscular?" She wondered.

"Zombire is more than just some muscle-head! He's formerly a death god, but the bond of human love awakened him and now he fights evil to protect the future of mankind! He wears a mask all the time because his face has become grotesque, and his life had been shortened, but he still insists on defending humans! That's what makes him the greatest superhero! He's amazing!" Hanasaki exclaimed passionately. As though just realizing he all but shouted at Anzu, Hanasaki immediately became meek and embarrassed, "I'm sorry…sometimes my enthusiasm gets the better of me…" He murmured as he diverted his eyes to the ground.

"Na! It's great that you get so excited." Joey commented, trying to cheer the kid up.

"That's right." Yugi agreed. "The Zombire action figures at the game shop have been flying off the shelves lately."

"Hey, are there any garage kits?" Joey asked.

"Why don't we go over to my house after school?" Hanasaki offered, "I can show you my collection."

"Yeah!" Yugi agreed happily, and Joey nodded bobbed his head as he gave his consent.

"Okay." Hanasaki said. His cheeks flushed from excitement at finally finding people who had similar tastes.

Finally, he had real friends.

* * *

"Wow! There are so many of them!" Joey exclaimed as he and Yugi were led into Hanasaki's room, where every single free spot on the boy's walls, shelves, and even on the ceiling were filled up by Zombire merchandise.

"You weren't kidding when you said that he was your favorite." Yugi murmured in awe.

"Well, my dad travels a lot for his business, and particularly to America, and so when he comes home, he always brings me something new for my collection." Hanasaki admitted.

Yugi plucked a figure that was still kept in its original packaging off of Hanasaki's desk, "Rare gold figures…you can't get these in Japan."

Suddenly, Hanasaki's bedroom door opened, and the three boys all turned to find Hanasaki's mother standing in the doorway holding a tray of freshly baked cookies and tea.

"I brought you boys some snacks." She announced unnecessarily.

"Thanks mom." Hanasaki said as he hopped up to take the tray from his mother.

Just then, something big and black moved quickly in the hall to come stand behind Hanasaki's mom.

There, standing tall and imposing, was Zombire himself…

Joey and Yugi's mouths fell open as their eyes widened in shock.

"Papa!" Hanasaki cried happily as he hugged Zombire.

"Pa-papa?" Joey and Yugi spluttered in unison.

"When did you get home?"

"Just now."

The chuckling Zombire reached up, grasped one of his horns, and pulled, revealing that a man – a human man – had only been wearing a Zombire mask. He was middle-aged, probably about in his mid-forties, with a shock of thinning salt-and-pepper hair. His face was barely wrinkled, and he had kind eyes as he watched his son reach out for the Zombire mask he had just removed.

"Is that a real Zombire mask?" The boy asked, his eyes transfixed on the eyes of the mask.

"Yes, it is."

"Whoa…this must have cost a lot of money." Hanasaki commented as he took the mask and studied it, stars twinkling in his eyes.

"Anything to make you smile." His father replied softly as he ruffled Hanasaki's hair.

"Hey everyone, drink your tea and I'll be back in a second." Hanasaki said as he rushed off.

"Hmm…It's really a Zombire house." Joey murmured as he scanned the figures and boxes in the room.

His eyes landed on a specific box on the bookshelf that made his face light up, "Awesome, a Zombire garage kit! I never made one." Joey exclaimed as he plucked the box off of the shelf.

"I don't think you should open that without asking Hanasaki first." Yugi commented worriedly.

"Well, maybe he doesn't have the time to build it?" Joey offered as he broke the seal and opened the box.

Yugi slapped his hand over his eyes and dragged it down in slightly exasperation. _I hope he didn't want that for a particular reason…_

It didn't take too long for Joey to finish putting the kit together. He really knew his way around garage kits, and in no time, Joey put the finishing touches on the figure by spraying it over with lacquer paint.

Just as he was admiring the figure, a scream jolted Yugi and Joey, and they swung their heads around to find a fully suited version of Zombire standing in the doorway. They were startled a little at first, but after the first time with Hanasaki's dad, Joey and Yugi weren't overly shocked by Zombire's appearance this time around.

"You built it…but I was going to preserve the box." Hanasaki murmured as his eyes behind the Zombire mask were fixed on the finished Zombire figure.

"You were? Sorry…"

"I told you, Joey…" Yugi mumbled. "Hey, that costume is amazing!" He exclaimed as he tried to lighten the mood.

"Thanks, Yugi. My dad bought pieces of it over time. I was just missing the head, but now I have the full Zombire suit!" Hanasaki replied happily.

"Oh! It's really late! Grandpa will be worried if I don't get home soon." Yugi cried as he spotted the Zombire clock on the wall that said it was a quarter after eight.

"Oh shit…" Joey murmured as the boys stood, "I suppose we should be going then."

"Yeah. Thanks for today, Hanasaki. It was fun!"

"Okay, I'll walk you out then." Hanasaki commented as he stood as well.

Outside, Hanasaki and his parents said goodnight to Joey and Yugi as they parted ways, "I'm really sorry about the garage kit…" Joey murmured.

"It's all right. You did a great job on it." Hanasaki replied truthfully. "See you guys at school tomorrow."

"Yeah, we'll see you tomorrow." The boys replied and turned to leave.

About a block away from Hanasaki's house, they felt somebody coming up behind them. They turned to find Hanasaki's dad following them with an odd expression on his face.

"Um…would you keep on being friends with Tomoya? Please?" He pleaded.

That was a strange question to ask..."We'll always be friends with Hanasaki." Yugi proclaimed, and Joey nodded his agreement. "Of course."

"Thank you." He breathed in relief. "Tomoya's body has been very weak ever since he was younger, and because of my job, I'm unable to care for him as I would like to. I was wondering if those action figures were his only friends." He explained.

"No need to worry about that." Joey commented.

"That's right." Yugi agreed, and the two continued on their way.

* * *

"Hey, you!"

Yugi turned when he felt someone grip his shoulder roughly from behind, two older guys, both looked too old to be in high school, stood there, glaring menacingly down at him. Both looked like they were begging to start trouble with him.

"You know a kid named Hanasaki? He's supposed to go to this school." One of them demanded.

"Never heard of him." Yugi replied immediately. _What could these thugs want with Hanasaki? _He wondered.

"You're lying." The second thug accused as he grabbed Yugi by his shirt collar. Yugi could feel the faint, now familiar stirring of the spirit of his Millennium Puzzle in the pit of his stomach, but this time, she seemed more questioning than usual.

_No…I think I can handle this…_ He replied to the spirit's inquiries, and he automatically felt his stomach settle as the spirit returned fully into the Millennium Puzzle.

"I told you, I don't know who that guy is." Yugi insisted as he felt the thug holding him press him back into the wall behind him.

Suddenly, someone shoved their way between Yugi and the two thugs. Yugi was shocked to see Hanasaki standing before him, arms outstretched, and staring defiantly at the two thugs.

_Oh…Hanasaki. _

"That voice…"

The thugs gave Hanasaki an skeptical once-over before grinning malevolently.

"Are you Hanasaki?" The first thug asked.

"So what if I am?" Hanasaki asked derisively.

The thugs stared for another moment before the first turned on his heels, "These guys aren't worth it. Let's get out of here."

"Huh?" The second guy exhaled before seemingly catching onto the other's cue and the two of them left.

_What was that all about? It wasn't like Hanasaki is all that intimidating…_

"You okay, Yugi?" Hanasaki asked as he finally turned around to face him.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Yugi murmured before adding, "That was amazing."

"If you see any more bad guys, please come get me? I'll protect you."

"Sure…"Yugi replied, although he was confused about this new side he was seeing.

* * *

Yugi was building his own Zombire garage kit in his bedroom late into the evening. It was nearly finished. All he needed to do now was paint it.

"Hanasaki really got me hooked on this Zombire stuff." Yugi mumbled to himself as he picked up the spray can, but when he pushed the nozzle, nothing came out.

"Ah man, I'm out of paint." Yugi exclaimed, exasperated. "I can't finish it without the paint!"

Yugi searched the storage shed outside the back door, and even in the shop portion of the house, but he couldn't fins anymore. It was too late to go out and buy some. Sullenly, Yugi started back up to his bedroom when a thought struck him, "Maybe I can borrow some from Hanasaki? He doesn't live too far away, and it's not too late."

Excited that he may get to finish his Zombire model tonight, Yugi grabbed his school blazer and went to put his shoes on, "Grandpa, I'm going out for a minute. I'll be back in a few." He called.

"Where are you planning on going?"

"Just to Hanasaki's house."

"All right, but be sure not to stay out too late this time. You still have school in the morning."

"I won't." And then Yugi rushed out of the house.

* * *

Yugi pushed the button on the intercom, "Hello, it's Yugi. Is Hanasaki home?"

He didn't get a verbal answer, but suddenly the front door of the house was flung open, and Hanasaki's father came running out, looking frantic, "What is it?" He asked.

"Tomoya has been-he had-" Mr. Hanasaki spluttered hysterically.

"What?! What happened to Hanasaki?" Yugi cried.

"This-I found this in his room." The man finally pulled himself together enough to convey as he held out a severely crumpled piece of paper.

"_We have your friend!" _It said, and along with that dismal announcement was a chicken-scratch drawing of some blob, tied up with rope, adorned with Yugi's spiked, tricolor hair. It was apparently crying, and at the very bottom was written _"To righteous hero." _

There was also a poorly drawn map up in the right-hand corner, with an arrow pointing to what seem to be the harbor.

"What?!" Yugi exclaimed as he took in the severity of this situation. _Hanasaki…for my sake, you…_

"I'll get Hanasaki back." Yugi pledged.

"I'll take you in the car." Mr. Hanasaki offered.

"You're not in any condition to be driving. You stay here." Yugi ordered, and then he spun on the balls of his feet and took off toward the docks.

* * *

Yugi was horrified when he finally got to the docks to find Hanasaki, dressed in his Zombire costume, laid out on the ground in a crumbled heap. The same two thugs from earlier stood over Hanasaki, with three more of their buddies too. He watched as one placed a swift kick to Hanasaki's ribs, causing the boy to cry out in agony and curl up on himself.

"That's enough! Stop!" Yugi screamed.

"What the hell?" One of the thugs exclaimed.

"Not another fake hero…" Another murmured.

"I'm no hero, but Hanasaki is my friend! How dare you beat up on him like that? It's hardly an even match." Yugi accused angrily.

"We never said anything about playing fair." The first guy commented.

Evidently, he was the leader of this little gang.

"Then I'll simply have to teach you never to mess around with my friends." Yugi announced.

The thugs all laughed at Yugi's absurd comment, too caught up in their mirth that they never saw him reach down and pick up a can of spray paint.

"This is a little something I've learned from another friend of mine. Let's play a little game."

"A game? What are you, twelve?"

"Nope, sixteen. Now, stop stalling and let's get this over with. Hanasaki's father is worrying himself sick over him." Yugi demanded impatiently.

He felt a tickling sensation in his gut, and he grinned a little as he could feel the spirit's pride in him right then. He never knew how much he revered the spirit.

"Hanasaki, are you all right?" Yugi asked finally as he saw the other boy shift.

"I've been better…" Hanasaki groaned, coughing a little. "You should get out of here, Yugi…you'll get hurt."

"No I won't." Yugi replied matter-of-factly.

"Don't ignore us, you little runt." One of the thugs snapped at the inattention Yugi was giving them.

"I wasn't. Now, let's play."

"Hmm, a game, huh?" The leader wondered, intrigued. "Alright, sounds interesting. You're going to take on all five of us?"

"Sure, it wouldn't be too much trouble." He showed his hand that still held the can of spray paint. "This is all I need to play the game."

The five thugs each pulled out a knife, and they advanced upon Yugi together.

Yugi bolted, running around and zigzagging around the thugs, all the while pointing the mouth of the can of spray paint toward the ground, spraying the paint out on the ground.

"Quit running and come at us." One of the thugs screamed in rage.

"He keeps dodging." Another growled.

"Corner him on that side." The leader of the gang commanded.

Soon, the five of them had backed Yugi up into a corner.

"Game over, pipsqueak."

"Oh…you thought I was running away from you? Look down." Yugi said, pointing at the ground.

One of the thugs gasped as they realized what Yugi was doing.

"You were painting on the ground?" Another thug wondered, not quite understanding the implications of what just happened.

A horrified look crossed the leader's face as his eyes flashed over to a still lit cigarette lying on the ground. He had been smoking it earlier before Hanasaki arrived, and had never stamped it out.

And the wick of the cigarette was just a handful of seconds away from touching the freshly laid paint on the ground.

None of the thugs had time to react to this before the lines that Yugi had sprayed caught on fire. Their feet immediately caught fire, and they screamed as the flames baked their skin.

They made a break for the edge of the dock, and dove into the water to douse the flame.

"Yugi!" Hanasaki cried as he finally got to his feet and quickly made his way to Yugi's side, "I'm so sorry for all the trouble." He implored desperately, tears in his eyes.

At some point, he had removed the Zombire mask.

"It's okay, Hanasaki. Let's get you home."

Hanasaki smiled, "Yeah."

* * *

"Tomoya!" Mr. Hanasaki cried as he saw Yugi and Hanasaki entered through the front door of the house.

"Dad! Mom!" Hanasaki cried as he was suddenly swept into his parents' arms. "I'm home."

"Oh son, I'm so sorry." Mr. Hanasaki said, "I wanted to help you to build confidence in yourself, so I did pay some people to pretend to be beaten by you. I hoped that afterward you could remain believing in your own abilities, but I guess I was wrong."

"Your intentions were noble, Mr. Hanasaki, but your execution was pretty poor." Yugi commented. "If you paid for your son's self-confidence, then it would be a false sense of self-esteem. Hanasaki needs to be able to make his own way, on his own, and someday he'll become confident in himself for real. After all, you can't always be there to protect him, and you need to trust your son to make his own decisions. Perhaps Zombire could teach Hanasaki to become more confident in himself, like a goal to reach, but it'll take time and effort." He explained, looking at Yugi.

Hanasaki could swear that whomever was talking to him was an entirely different person than the Yugi he had met only a few months ago. But those are Yugi's kind, amethyst eyes, staring at him with such intensity.

If Yugi could gain even this much more confidence in himself, then Hanasaki figured he could too.

"Thanks Yugi. And thank you too, papa. I know you meant well, but next time, let me do things on my own. All right? I know you worry, but I'll be fine." Hanasaki said.

Mr. Hanasaki had tears in his eyes as he grinned from ear to ear, "I know you will, son."

Yugi smiled at the family moment as father and son exchanged a swift embrace.

Then something clicked in his mind, "Uh, Hanasaki, could I borrow some paint? I was trying to finish my Zombire garage kit, but I ran out."

"Sure thing." Hanasaki replied, chuckling a little at the irony.

In some roundabout way, Zombire had saved his life tonight.


End file.
